IPA Newspack
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets

IPA /

IPA Special

IPA Special

Congress Leadership Needs Course Corrections Before 2024 Polls

By Kalyani Shankar

Odds appear to favour the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party is gung ho about its rosy prospects, as barring a few losses, the BJP’s winning streak doesn’t appear to be reversing. The party has retained four of the five states that went to the polls recently. It considers its poll victories as an endorsement of the policies and schemes of the Modi government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also suggested that the trend confirms the BJP victory, and Modi is not wrong in his 2024 forecast. His secret weapon is a divided Opposition. Congress can not mount a credible challenge in 2024  polls or even  has the acceptability to lead the opposition

The Gandhi family has gotten away with so many defeats since 2014 mainly because Congress could not agree on any other person outside the family to lead the party. In its Sunday Congress Working Committee, meeting, the party has again reposed faith in the Gandhis, ignoring the poor results. It shows that the party has no intention of doing  a real introspection.

Congress could have easily won Uttarakhand, Goa, and Punjab of the five states. There was enough groundswell for the party, but it, messed up the whole thing. The Gandhi siblings are mainly responsible for this pathetic situation. Punjab should have been in Congress kitty had not the party removed Captain Amarinder Singh just a few months ahead of the polls. Uttarakhand was in its pocket had the party activated the poll machinery much earlier.. So was Goa.

The regional parties also have not fared well. Samajwadi Party in UP has indeed improved but not within striking distance of snatching power. BSP chief Mayawati should blame herself for not protecting her turf as it is clear that Dalits have moved away from her. TMC was a loser in Goa.

All these show that the Opposition had given away these states in a platter to the BJP. All this, when regional satraps like Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the new poster boy of the Opposition, are trying to make unity moves with or without Congress.

Opposition unity is eluding because if the ego clashes of the opposition leaders. The first question is who will lead the Opposition? Congress claims to have a pan-national presence. But that was the position before Modi appeared on the national scene in 2014. Today Congress is almost a regional party. It faces a leadership crisis at the top. Factionalism is at its peak, and dissidents have emerged. The leadership has no accountability.

Kejriwal is the Opposition’s new poster boy. He managed to win Punjab within ten years of the formation of his party. AAP projected itself as an anti-establishment force and kept its campaign focused on developmental issues. There are credible regional satraps within the Opposition like the West Bengal chief minister. In Goa, too, after seeing no success in the last election, AAP stayed the course and has opened its account by winning two seats. Whoever leads the opposition, there is an  urgent  need for its unity both in Parliament and outside.

Secondly, the Opposition should come up with an alternate pragmatic programme. They could  draft out a common minimum programme to resolve the inherent contradictions.

Thirdly, the Opposition should have a new narrative and not just Modi-bashing. It should attract the youth, particularly first-time voters.

Fourthly Congress should not claim the opposition leadership; step back to allow others to lead.

Fifthly, the Opposition should look at the Hindu votes as the BJP wins mainly by the Hindu consolidation. Some leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal have realized it and have started wooing the Hindus with their temple runs and chanting of Hanuman Chalisa.

Sixthly, the Opposition should avoid emotional issues and focus on administration, development, and welfare programmes.

While the Congress will still get opportunities to regain its clout, with elections in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh lined up before the final battle in 2024, the party shuns any changes.

The Opposition will never be able to defeat Modi and his party so long as it cannot decipher why Modi wins. After all, it is the voter connection, excellent communication, and 24/7 poll machinery that helped Modi win. (IPA Service)

IPA Special

Places Of Religious Worship (Special Provisions) Act Is Still Legally Binding

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru On His 58th Death Anniversary

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Labour Market Recovery Is Again Under Threat

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Is Arunachal And Ladakh The Dog’s Life For IAS & IPS?

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Geetanjali Shree’s ‘Tomb Of Sand’ Wins International Booker Prize

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Calls All-Party Meeting On Caste Census

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Wage Earners And Bottom 20 Per Cent Are The Hardest Hit By High Inflation

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Centre’s Sudden Wheat Export Ban Has Hit The Income Of Common Farmers

May 27, 2022
IPA Special

Ray Liotta Of Goodfellas Fame Was An Actor Of Great Talent

May 27, 2022
Politics

BJP wants AAP stopped from becoming main opposition party

May 27, 2022
Happening Now

Imran praises India for fuel price cut, slams Pakistan

May 27, 2022
Happening Now

Putin offers to help solve food crisis if sanctions lifted

May 27, 2022
Politics

Mann govt trains guns on ‘corrupt’ ex-ministers

May 27, 2022
Politics

Expelled Mayawati favourite lands up in Cong

May 27, 2022
Politics

Telangana CM holds talks with Deve Gowda in Bengaluru

May 26, 2022
IPA Special

Indian Membership Of Quad Is Against Both Political And Economic Interests

May 26, 2022
IPA Special

Despite Loss Of Jobs And High Price Rise, Narendra Modi Is Comfortable

May 26, 2022
IPA Special

Battle Royale In Thrikkakara By-Election In Kerala

May 26, 2022
IPA Special

Food Insecurity To Rise Sharply By November 2022

May 26, 2022
IPA Special

Social And Communal Harmony Is Always Helpful For Healthcare

May 26, 2022

An appeal

The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.
Click here to learn more

Share

Reply

  • 0
More on IPA

Places Of Religious Worship (Special Provisions) Act Is Still Legally Binding

May 27, 2022 5:28 pm | IPA Staff

By Prakash Karat During the Ramjanmabhoomi agitation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva outfits had raised the slogan “Ayodhya sirf ek jhanki hai, Mathura...

IPA Special

Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru On His 58th Death Anniversary

May 27, 2022 5:26 pm | IPA Staff

By Nitya Chakraborty On May 27, 1964 at 1.44 PM, India’s first Prime Minister and one of the best chroniclers of this great nation’s history...

IPA Special

Labour Market Recovery Is Again Under Threat

May 27, 2022 5:23 pm | IPA Staff

By Dr. Gyan Pathak After significant gains during the last quarter of 2021, the number of hours worked globally dropped in the first quarter of...

IPA Special

Is Arunachal And Ladakh The Dog’s Life For IAS & IPS?

May 27, 2022 5:21 pm | IPA Staff

By Sushil Kutty After the newspaper report with the picture showing the IAS couple watching the dog take a walk in the stadium, the Ministry...

IPA Special

Places Of Religious Worship (Special Provisions) Act Is Still Legally Binding

in IPA Special
May 27, 2022   ·  

Remembering Jawaharlal Nehru On His 58th Death Anniversary

in IPA Special
May 27, 2022   ·  

Labour Market Recovery Is Again Under Threat

in IPA Special
May 27, 2022   ·  

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Follow us on
Up Next: Punjab Cong in a predicament over chief’s choice
©2020 -2021 India Press Agency, All Rights Reserved
Newspack by India Press Agency
Posting....
logo
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets