Resignations of Lovely, Naseeb and Basoya indicate Congress high command’s disconnect with ground reality

New Delhi:  The resignations of two Congress functionaries, Naseeb Singh and Neeraj Basoya, from the primary membership of the party, following closely on the heels of Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely’s departure over the “humiliating” alliance with Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), come as yet another reminder that the grand old party’s central leadership is cut off from the ground realities, and the feelings and sentiments of its hard-core workers.

Both Singh and Basoya were Congress election observers for the North-West Delhi and West Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively. Though their resignation letters are addressed to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, it’s easy to guess who they are meant for, the actual decision-makers.

Their letters express the deep anguish of the ordinary Congress workers and sympathisers, underlining the drift and disconnect of the Gandhi family and those around them calling the shots.

Singh and Basoya’s letters also provide insight into the humiliation experienced by the Congress workers daily, especially in the context of the alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The reference to an AAP candidate mocking them as “4 per cent vote party” underscores the indignity and ridicule faced by the Congress workers on multiple counts, almost on a daily basis.

This perceived lack of respect and recognition further exacerbates the sense of alienation and disenchantment among the party members.

The spate of resignations by important Congress leaders across the country since the time Rahul Gandhi began his long winding “Nafrat ke Bazaar mein Mohabbat Ki Dukan” two-phased Bharat Jodo Yatra, from “east to west” and “south to north”, only proves that there were no takers for ‘Dukan’ even within his own party’s rank and file.

Significantly, Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to rejuvenate the Congress’ electoral prospects through his nationwide tour appears to have fallen short of expectations, as evidenced by the lack of support within his own party’s rank and file.

The party continues to implode even when the seven-phase parliamentary polls are underway. Its existential crisis thus becomes more critical.

After speaking to some Congress leaders, one finds that their grievances against the party leadership are indeed multifaceted, and the situation in Delhi adds a layer of acute hurt and anger.

The decision to align with the AAP, coupled with the expectations to defend AAP’s alleged corruption and misdeeds on various platforms, has left many Congress members feeling betrayed and disrespected.

The taunts and disrespect from their newfound ally only add insult to injury, exacerbating the sense of humiliation and disillusionment within the party ranks.

The grievances outlined in detail by leaders like Arvinder Singh Lovely, Naseeb Singh, and Neeraj Basoya reflect only a fraction of the discontent simmering within the Congress. In private conversations, many Congress leaders express even harsher criticisms and frustrations with the party’s leadership and the decision-making process.

They question the party leadership’s desperation to keep alive the INDI Alliance and the compulsion to bend backward to accommodate the wishes of each noteworthy partner under the slightest pressure.

AAP recognised the Congress high command’s weaknesses to first make an entry into the opposition bloc, then forced the Congress to take a position on the Delhi Ordinance issue, so much so that the party, which was otherwise disrupting parliamentary proceedings every day, sat through the debate on the issue in both Houses of the Parliament, defending Arvind Kejriwal’s position to the best of its capacity, even bringing an unwell former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a wheelchair to the Parliament to vote on the Bill.

Even in the 2019 elections, the Congress was number two while AAP was number three, but it was AAP which agreed to give three seats to the Congress in Delhi and in the bargain, made the Congress agree to offer AAP seats in Gujarat and Haryana. It also made Congress leaders talk about AAP’s “magnanimity” of not contesting in Goa.

In Delhi, the BJP was the clear winner garnering close to 57 per cent votes, while the Congress managed 22 per cent, and the AAP 18 per cent.

It was the Congress leaders in Delhi who first brought details relating to the liquor scam and Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’ in the public domain. But in the end, they were not just made to carry AAP’s tainted baggage on their shoulders, but also defend the alleged wrongdoer.

The Congress workers have questioned their leaders’ compulsion, particularly that of Sandeep Dikshit, a former two-term MP and the son of ex-Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit, to rush to Kejriwal’s house to show solidarity.

Kejriwal’s political foundation was built on making wild allegations against Sheila Dikshit and promises to send Congress leaders to jail for their alleged corrupt deeds.

Kejriwal had practically taken the Congress’ support base lock, stock, and barrel in Delhi. Yet the Congress compromised, knowing well that the alliance would last till the next Assembly polls scheduled early next year.

Some even rue how the Gandhi family could be so forgetful – overlooking Kejriwal getting a resolution passed in the Delhi Assembly demanding Rajiv Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna be withdrawn, or the AAP leader’s multiple statements demanding Sonia Gandhi be put in jail and interrogated to spell out the details of the corrupt deals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also hit out at the “plight” of the Gandhi family in these elections, in which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will not vote for the Congress from the New Delhi constituency for the first time as the Congress has conceded the seat to AAP.

The Gandhi family voting for AAP has multiple implications for the Congress, considering that both parties are fighting against each other in Punjab.

Giving a ticket to erstwhile Leftist student leader Kanhaiya Kumar from North-East Delhi and the Congress manifesto taking a Leftist tilt were the last straws for the likes of Arvinder Singh Lovely, Naseeb Singh, and Neeraj Basoya, among others.

–IANS