Congress limping to early retirement thanks to ageing leaders
The Congress' defeat in the four states that went to polls this year has opened up a Pandora's box even inside the party. The first to go public was party general secretary Digvijaya Singh, who said enough introspection has been done by the party and it should now go for a "major surgery". Satyavrat Chaturvedi said what the party needed was a "cardiac surgery" and "cosmetic surgery" would not do. Abhishek Manu Singhvi wanted new and younger state leaders in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and suggested that "usual faces" to be "shunted" to advisory roles.
In the parliamentary elections in 1996, the Congress, under PV Narasimha Rao, lost. And that was the beginning of the end of Rao's political life. Within months, Rao had to quit as president of the party. But today, even in this chorus of change, one thing is clear to each and every partyman - they have to stand by the Gandhi family. Kamal Nath, joining this change brigade, asserted that the leadership of Gandhis is "non-negotiable".
When Digvijaya Singh was asked what kind of surgery he wanted, he said: "It's up to the surgeon to decide."
Singhvi tweeted, “new younger state faces. (Example: Pilot in Rajasthan); new Gen secys; new CWC; micro managment; 50 per cent pure merit & 50 per cent region, caste etc; shunt usual faces/ names to advisory roles.”
 |
| Digvijaya Singh had prescribed "surgery" for the Congress. |
Kamal Nath, who was part of the Indira Gandhi-Sanjay Gandhi team which led the Congress' fight back against the Janata Party rule said, "India is the biggest aspirational society on the planet with an extremely energetic, talented and ambitious youth segment. The Congress must take imaginative and creative steps to project itself as a party that represents the aspirational society."
All of them are suggesting that there is a disconnect between the party and the Indian people. India has more than 50 per cent of its population below the age of 25 years and more than 65 per cent below the age of 35. But average age of the CWC, the highest decision-making body of the party, is 67 years. How can 67-year-olds tap in to the aspirations of the people who are less than half their age?
 |
The youngest person in the CWC is Rahul Gandhi, who himself admits that he is at the helm because of his family. The youngest member after him is Mukul Wasnik, who is 59-years-old. The oldest member is Motilal Vora (87), followed by Manmohan Singh (83). If the Congress wants to reinvent, the age profile of its highest body should be in tune with that of India and old leaders should make way for new ones.
Having seen the age profile of the highest decision-making body of the Congress, let's take a look at that of its rival, the BJP. Is the age profile of the BJP's parliamentary board in tune with that of India?
 |
The average age of the BJP's parliamentary board members is 61. Though it is five years younger than that of the CWC members, it is still not in tune with the average age of India. And this is its profile after the so-called "elevation" of the elderly troika of LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the Margdarshak Mandal in August 2014.
The formation of the Margdarshak Mandal was largely seen as a covert way of keeping Advani and Joshi out of any decision-making body of the party rather than a promotion.
Congress' Digvijaya Singh too said that "we can have our own Margdarshak Mandal". So, is the Congress going to follow the BJP's model to change the CWC's age profile? Is this the only way to give it a youthful look? It seems that the Congress may opt for it, but there is one fundamental difference between it and the BJP. While the BJP has done this generational shift after the 2014 Lok Sabha victory, the Congress is planning to go for it after serious defeats.
It may or may not work. It is a risky proposition. But India of the 21st century does not want to be ruled by 20th century leaders with backdated ideas and closed mindsets. It's an idea whose time has come. So the option for the 131-year-old Congress is very limited: get young or die away.