The irony of the Congress embarking — finally — to unify the nation at a time when the party appears to be a divided house is palpable. The latest to disembark from the Congress’s ship that has been in choppy waters for a while is Ghulam Nabi Azad who quit — following in the footsteps of veterans such as Kapil Sibal, Sunil Jakhar, Ashwani Kumar, Jyotiraditya Scindia, among others — with his guns blazing at the Gandhis. He has accused Rahul Gandhi of demolishing the consultative mechanism within the party, while Sonia Gandhi has been described as a nominal figure. There is no doubting the fact that the Congress, marginalised politically, is in a shambles organisationally. Senior leaders like Mr Azad were expected to have stood up to be counted at such a perilous hour. After all, he has been an advocate of reform. Instead, he has chosen to jump ship. The timing of Mr Azad’s accusations is also curious. The culture of sycophancy that he finds so stifling now suited him perfectly well during his long association with the party that rewarded him with plum portfolios. This only strengthens the suspicion that the real reason for Mr Azad’s grouse has been the denial of a Rajya Sabha berth. The commitment to personal ambition over the interests of the party has been a signature legacy of Congressmen. Mr Azad has shown that he is not an exception to this rule. His exit is unlikely to dent the Congress anywhere except in Kashmir. The truth is that most members of the Congress’s Old Guard would struggle to win an election by themselves. Mr Azad’s departure, despite all the noise in the media, should be used by the Congress to groom younger, committed, energetic leaders.
It will be interesting to see whether Mr Azad’s decamping weakens the coterie demanding greater democratisation within the Congress. Mr Gandhi’s response to the crisis demands urgency as well. He cannot afford to not take up the reins of the party leadership and, yet, take crucial decisions. The rot must be stemmed. This is not only because the Congress’s political survival is integral to the Opposition’s pushback against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s hegemony but also there is a nation — India — waiting to be delivered from the clutches of majoritarianism.