The Congress Crisis: Rahul Gandhi's Leadership Questioned Amid Electoral Meltdown | Opinion

The murmurs in the Congress about Rahul Gandhi's leadership is steadily growing and this time the dissenting voices are coming from established Muslim leaders, although the party banks heavily on the Muslim vote for its survival. This dissent from prominent Muslim voices should come as a shock treatment for Rahul Gandhi and the Nehru-Gandhi family who have perpetually relied on this vote bank ever since independence.

However, a revolt is brewing. Shakeel Ahmad, a Congress leader from Bihar who has served as an MP and MLA for several terms, makes several allegations against Rahul Gandhi. His first charge is that Rahul is a "darpok" (coward), who has difficulty in working with seniors whom he has to address as "Aap". He does not like doing that.

His second charge is that Rahul is arrogant, suffers from a sense of entitlement, and is privileged. He is very insecure and cannot tolerate talented people. In his view, he has not seen a more insecure political leader. His third charge against Rahul is that he raises false issues like "Vote Chori" and disappears from the scene.

Finally, his fourth charge is that the party President, Mallikarjun Kharge, is a "dummy" and that Rahul Gandhi takes all the decisions. Shakeel Ahmad has also alleged that party cadres have been directed to attack his house in Patna and Madhubani.

Another seasoned and respected politician and Congress veteran who feels disenchanted with the party's "high command" is Rashid Alvi. Alvi said there was no internal dialogue in the party, and even senior persons did not have access to the leaders of the party. Lack of communication is a major problem these days, unlike in the days of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, who took time out to meet party workers. He is pained to note that while the Congress uses the Muslim vote bank, it does not care for Muslims. There is nothing in the party's policies that indicates that the party desires to improve the life of Muslims.

Yet another disappointed leader is Naseemuddin Siddiqui, a grassroots leader in Uttar Pradesh with considerable influence, who quit the party with his supporters. Siddiqui held important portfolios as a minister in the Mayawati government earlier. He said that despite his influence among people, the party neglected him and assigned him no work. Hence, he had to quit.

These developments come in the background of the Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor's attitude to the party leadership. Tharoor, who is very articulate and suave and a diplomat par excellence, would be an asset to any political party, not just in India, but in any democracy across the world. He has held key positions in the United Nations, including that of Under Secretary General and is a well-known author and commentator.

His biodata is such that it would be the envy of any person in public life. Yet, he is ill-treated in the Congress Party. He is often snubbed by the party "high command". This reinforces Shakeel Ahmad's accusation against Rahul Gandhi that he is intolerant of competent people. The party leadership is also unhappy with Tharoor's comments praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decisive action after the Pahalgam terror attack, something which every true nationalist would do.

However, instead of addressing the concerns of such leaders, those close to the Nehru-Gandhis have, as usual, launched an onslaught on the dissidents. One party MP has called these leaders "the 2026 batch of Jaichands", meaning they are a bunch of traitors. Also, leaders like Shakeel Ahmad and Rashid Alvi are a bunch of failed and frustrated leaders who are intolerant of "competent leaders" like Rahul Gandhi.

They quickly recall the positions held by these leaders within the party or government long years ago and say, despite enjoying positions of power, they are grumbling and complaining, meaning they are treacherous people.

But several party insiders see these developments as a matter of grave concern. They say the Congress is "collapsing, crumbling and imploding," but no one wants to bell the cat. These discordant voices are emerging after the disastrous performance of the Congress Party in the Bihar Assembly election and in the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections.

In the Bihar Assembly elections held some months ago, the Congress Party secured just 8.71 per cent of the votes and won just 6 of the 243 seats in the state assembly. The National Democratic Alliance headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party inflicted a crushing defeat on the so-called Mahagatbandhan of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the left parties.

The NDA bagged 202 seats, and the mahagatbandhan was reduced to just 33. Even at the seat-distribution stage, the Mahagatbandhan leaders were murmuring that their weakest link was the Congress Party and the Congress proved them right by contesting 61 seats and winning just 6.

Even though it did not have the cadres or the vote-base, the Congress "high command" (read Rahul Gandhi) insisted on getting over 60 seats in the seat sharing and ensured the defeat of the opposition alliance. The moment the seat-sharing formula of the Mahagatbandhan was announced, the BJP leaders were smiling away and thanking God for their good fortune. They knew that most of the seats allotted to the Congress were actually a gift for the NDA.

In Bihar, although there was seat sharing among the RJD, the Congress and some other parties, the entire burden of the campaign was borne by Tejaswi Yadav. Rahul initially appeared on the scene and, in the midst of the campaign, travelled out of the country. He was not even present when the election manifesto was released. He reappeared in the final stages of the campaign, held a few election rallies and did the disappearing act once again.

More recently, in Maharastra when the elections were held for the most prestigious and cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Rahul was an absentee-leader once again and the anti-BJP forces were in utter disarray. Eventually, this reflected in the results. The Congress got just 9.31 per cent of the votes and just 24 of the 227 seats. This was indeed pathetic for India's oldest political party.

With elections round the corner in several states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and West Bengal, there is growing concern among Congressmen about the future of the party. When will they be liberated from the 'leadership' of Rahul Gandhi and his henchmen? That is a million-dollar question!

(Disclaimer: The author is a former Chairman of Prasar Bharati and a senior columnist.)