Subhechcha Ganguly 
While the campaign for the assembly elections in Karnataka is on full swing , the faces of some leaders who left Congress or are in a mood to leave the party, criticizing the Congress almost in a daily basis on TV screens. Now they are setting the anti Congress perception in the media. Ghulam Nabi Azad is in the front row who insults the Congress and it’s leadership the most. As a Congressman Ghulam Nabi was the biggest political beneficiary and was in every prized position when the party was in the power. But now he seems to be the bitterest enemy of the Congress.
After the division of Andhra and Telangana, Kiran Reddy, who was the prime architect and beneficiary of the Andhra Pradesh bifurcation has joined BJP yesterday. Jyotiraditya Scindia, once the closest confidents of Gandhis is now insulting the Congress day and night. Kerala veteran AK Antony’s son has joined BJP. Now, all those Congress leaders who have become unwanted in the party are all set to join the BJP or in a mission to finish the Congress in public perception.
In the last five years, the Congress government in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh collapsed due to the conspiracy of Congress insiders. Sachin Pilot, who has been working as a dynamic leader of Rajasthan Congress for many years, tried many times to bring about the downfall of the Congress government by colluding with the BJP, but ultimately failed. In Madhya Pradesh, BJP managed to buy the biggest fish of Congress as Schindhiia. Jyotiraditya Scindhia played a key role in bringing down the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh.
The biggest question is BJP hardly succeeds in its efforts to break the other non-Congress Opposition parties, but easily they could demolish the Congress’s ranks and files, why? How is the BJP able to destroy the Congress whenever it wants? As the oldest party of 135 years, Congress has seen many ups and downs. The Congress, which has been in power for the longest time in independent India, has seen frequent splits. However, facing all the divisions and crises, the Congress has risen again. Indira Gandhi vs. Old Congress Syndicate in 1967, Indira vs. Others after Emergency, Rajiv Gandhi vs. Vishwanath Pratap Singh in 1989, Sitaram Keshari vs. Sonia Gandhi in 1999 – Congress has faced many crises. This time the formidable Narendra Modi-Amit Shah-led BJP has almost decimated Congress and ruthlessly they are in a mission to finish the grand old party.
In 2014, after forming the BJP government at the center, the BJP completely bought the Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh which had an absolute majority. Later, the same drama unfolded in Uttarakhand. At various times, the common people of the country have given Congress an opportunity. But Congress has not been able to take advantage of this opportunity. Personal ambition and aspiration of the party leaders is more important than the existence of the party . Congress’s victory in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in the 2019 assembly elections created a big opportunity. However, the Congress leadership failed to regain their clout.
The Congress leaders who are now leaving the party and joining BJP are not any assets to the Congress, rather most of them are liabilities. Politically Ghulam Nabi Azad was a parasite and his whole political existence was his loyalty to Gandhis. He is not or was never a leader of masses. Now, before an important state election, Ghulam Nabi is seen campaigning against the Congress, and it looks pretty clear as if the BJP has given him the role of a sharpshooter.
Somehow, the biggest question is why Congress is so vulnerable and fragile as a political party and why Congress leaders never hesitate to switch over to BJP which is ideologically extremely opposite to it??
