Family Matters: The Hindu Editorial on Congress and the Gandhi Family

Congress will be led by someone who is not from the Nehru-Gandhi familyRahul Gandhi made it clear that he is in no mood to return as party president. party will finalize it Program for Organizational Elections Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday. The family itself is moving in search of a replacement. Mr. Gandhi had resigned from the presidency Following Congress’s defeat In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He had led the campaign, and he took responsibility for the failure; But also felt disheartened by party seniors, whom he thought did not contest the election with all his mind and soul. Rejecting the pleas of his ardent followers to return to power, he has challenged Congress leaders to adopt a new culture, moving away from the familiar habit of trusting family together as a lifeblood and a mask. This challenge for the Congress party is no less than the external challenge of extinction before the Bharatiya Janata Party. His discomfort with formal power may make him appear to be a reluctant politician, but he has expressed his desire to be in public life as part of his democratic duty.

Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot is leading for the post, for various reasons. Mr. Gehlot is a shrewd politician, a manager of conflicting interests, and deeply embedded in the Congress structure from the grassroots to the summit. His charm, accessibility, clean image and expertise in heart politics make him a good fit. He carries his allegiance to the Gandhi family on his sleeve, but is acceptable to many groups within the Congress. If there is a contest for the post of party president, it will only increase the legitimacy of the winner. However, with the Gandhi siblings in active politics, what authority Mr. Gehlot or someone else can exercise as president within the party remains a complicated question. If Mr. Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra continue to be active decision-makers, as has been the case in recent times, the situation could turn chaotic. Mr. Gandhi has done a respectable job of succumbing to pressure and refusing to return as president. But he, his sister and his mother Mrs. Gandhi must have a clearly defined roadmap to engage in the working of the party. There may be a good effort to revive the non-Gandhi Congress in power, but that in itself is no guarantee of its revival. The new president should have the authority, legitimacy and vision to infuse new energy in the party. The irony is that the burden of ensuring this lies on none other than the Gandhi family, which will have to support without interfering.