Opinion - News Analysis   

Time to tune up the Congress machine

K.V. Prasad

Reorganisation of the party organisation is long overdue.

PHOTO: AFP

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi.

HAVING SORTED out the issue of finding a new External Affairs Minister for the United Progressive Alliance Government, Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi should want to focus her energies on revamping the organisation, pending since the expansion of the Union Cabinet in January last.

The current opportunity could be utilised to build a team with an eye on the string of elections between 2007 and 2009 and the nature of political alignments the party would like to strike in the run-up to these polls. During this period, Assembly elections are due in 16 States — six in 2007, eight in 2008, and two in 2009 along with the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress president would be the first to concede that for more than a year now the organisation has been run in an ad hoc manner, with even responsibilities of key States remaining with Union Ministers who have to shuffle party and Government work.

For instance, Ambika Soni was made Tourism and Culture Minister in January but till date she remains general secretary in charge of Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. This when the party took away in stages her responsibility for Working Committee and All-India Congress Committee meetings and the Media Department.

It took a major faux pas by an overactive, less-informed spokesperson for the party to direct general secretary Janardan Dwivedi to take control. But the problem remains because there is no clarity on what to communicate and how. All that the Dwivedi regime has managed to do is to clamp down on whatever little information used to flow down from 10 Janpath. There remains a huge gap between the party's decision-making apparatus and the channels of communication within the organisation.

Take the October 24 reshuffle. The party spokespersons were simply out of the information loop expressing helplessness in either confirming or denying whether there existed such a possibility amid intense speculation that it was imminent.

Another concern is the lack of a structured debate in the party. With the decision making on important polices left to the Government, the party at times appears to have no voice at all. Take the case of the controversy over the setting up of Special Economic Zones. The AICC Plenary did not even discuss it and, in the midst of claims and counter-claims by the Finance and Commerce Ministers, Ms. Gandhi suddenly spoke up for the farmers.

In true Congress tradition, her pronouncement became the official policy — no evidence of any discussion or debate was available.

Ever since the Congress top leadership got engaged in keeping the coalition going and launching fire-fighting operations to handle emergencies, the organisation has been relegated to the background. Despite claims that by opting not to be Prime Minister Ms. Gandhi would be able to devote more time for the party, the fact is that even her visits to the AICC headquarters next door have become rare. Even CWC meetings are held at her residence and not the party office. Access to the top leadership is controlled.

Can the Congress put in place a team that is vibrant and has synergy with the Government and can make its voice heard if Government policies appear to be moving away from the people?

With the best talent already in the Government, this is the time for the party to put together a team that inherits the mantle of leadership in future. Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi's reluctance to take up any responsibility in the organisation in order to continue with his "learning" should not be allowed to become an impediment to drafting other bright young leaders for party work.

The team should have people who can think and act politically, and include those who have equations with leaders of coalition partners. The new team can draw from the pool of wisdom available with the old guard and at the same time demonstrate that the Congress is still in tune with the times.

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