By Atul Chandra
It was BJP’s slogan to make India Congress-mukt (free) but it has struggled to make that happen. Now leaders like Mamata Banerjee are out to cause the disintegration of the Congress. And dismayed by the Gandhi family’s weak leadership, the disenchanted members of the Congress are helping Mamata to achieve that objective. Working behind the scenes to help realize Mamata’s big dream is said to be Prashant Kishor, the political strategist who guided TMC to victory in West Bengal.
Congress leaders from UP, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Tripura, Goa and Meghalaya deserted the grand old party which, many observers feel, is a fading star. In the recent setback 12 of the 17 Congress MLAs in Meghalaya joined the TMC. The defectors included ex-CM Mukul Sangma who was unhappy with the party’s choice of Vincent H. Pala as president of the state unit.
Read also: Mamata Banerjee likely to go to Mumbai in December
Sangma said that it was the “chalta hai” (casual) attitude of the leadership. “Every election we participate in, we want to win the election because winning the election is important. But the fact is that if we are seen to be not willing to correct things and continue with a ‘chalta hai’ attitude, then you are not doing justice to the people whom you have promised to serve.” This casual attitude was also noticeable when tired of waiting for a decision Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party to join the BJP. He is now the Union Civil Aviation Minister.
Senior Congress leader and former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro recently chose to quit the party to join Trinamool Congress. He was promptly rewarded with Rajya Sabha membership.
This was a new trend considering that 10 out of the 15 Congress legislators in Goa had joined the BJP in 2019. Congress had earlier suffered a jolt in 2018 when despite emerging as the largest single party with 21 seats it could not form a government as it was out-manoeuvred by the BJP. Nothing could better showcase the ineptitude of the Congress high command.
Read also: Ex-Goa CM Luizinho Faleiro nominated for Rajya Sabha seat by TMC
Earlier it was Tripura where seven Congress leaders, including former minister Prakash Chandra Das, switched over to the TMC in July 2021. Some more Tripura Congress leaders joined the party a month later.
Two Congress leaders—Kirti Azad and Ashok Tanwar—vowed allegiance to Mamata Banerjee when she was on a visit to Delhi a few days ago. Clearly, Mamata Banerjee is taking advantage of Congress Party’s weakening hold on its cadre while expanding her footprints to emerge as a viable national alternative to Congress.
It is not important to know who is a bigger threat to Congress, BJP or the TMC. What is important for the party’s leadership is to find out why its state leaders and workers are so disenchanted that they leave the party not in ones or twos but literally in droves and what makes me think that party top brass has a ‘chalta hai’ attitude. The helpless leadership is unable to reverse the trend.
Read also: Mamata Banerjee congratulates farmers on their victory
With Prashant Kishor now said to be in Karnataka to scout for some Congress leaders there, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra better beware. Mamata is their real frenemy.