The sad thing about the Congress is that when it is flying high because it has done some good deeds, made some right decisions and been somewhat proactive — at a time when the rest of the national parties have been splashing about in unthinking confusion, indulging in rabble-rousing, reiterating failed promises laced with archaic rhetoric, forcing unnecessary adjournments of parliament and thereby sending out hugely negative signals — this ageing mother of all parties, instead of having matured like fine wine, is drowning in what is akin to putrid, rather astringent, vinegar. Internal factions have begun to hit out at each other in public. Junior minister Jairam Ramesh, known to be a lieutenant of the political secretary and strongman, Ahmad Patel, has carelessly spoken out of turn about a senior political colleague in the cabinet, Ambika Soni. He had no reason to do so, except to try and embarrass Soni, who once shared the post of political secretary to the Congress president with Patel.

This behaviour is, in fact, an insult to Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. Needless to say, there are wheels within wheels. Looking for attention in this perverse fashion usually springs from being inconsequential in the hierarchy, while pretending to be otherwise.

Loose talk

The party does not need this kind of internal sniping, back-biting and inappropriate jockeying for ‘powerful’ positions. These have entered the portals of the Congress and begun to drown its normal functioning in low levels of personal political intrigue. It is sickening to watch and hear weak, failed men and women, with nothing to show for themselves. Nothing substantial emerges from the jobs they are doing that could redeem them if they were to honestly fill an appraisal form. Such manipulating and politicking only makes the party appear weak at a time when it is in fact gaining ground in the larger public sphere. Congressmen and women who mastermind such shenanigans should be put through the wringer, and taught, informed and disciplined about civilized conduct. If they need training, so be it. Someone has to initiate and lead the renewal.

As a Rajya Sabha member, that is, without a constituency that makes him accountable for his actions, Jairam Ramesh should publicly apologize to the party and to Ambika Soni. Other disgruntled partymen, indulging in loose talk and causing grief, could be put to pasture, in the best definition of the word, and sent to work on social projects in the rural areas for a length of time, before being accommodated once again in high office at the Centre.

Clean up

Those who find the exercise tiresome should quit and find a berth elsewhere, in another favoured party, to allow the much-needed cleansing in the Congress. The Rambabus and Jairam Rameshs need to find cleaner, intelligent, sophisticated and valid methods of announcing and exposing their dissension. What is becoming the norm is just plain clumsy and distasteful.

At a time when the Congress should be seen to be standing united, the weak elements in the party are busy worming around, creating cracks, factions and divisions, nurturing suspicions and deliberately spreading half-truths for purely selfish ends. It will soon be like snake fights in a dark pit. Often, senior office-bearers also play a game, one where they send out veiled threats to those who could reveal the darker side of their operations. Examples are endless and very much a part of the oral tradition in India of passing on true and real information.

Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh are dignified leaders with integrity. The rest of the party leadership needs to emulate them and put an immediate end to the present politics of personal manoeuvring and gear itself for the not-so-distant-elections.