By Atul Kapoor

The grand old Congress party has set yet another precedent making it look more farcical than ever. As if what the party has been doing in recent times wasn’t suicidal enough, now they have taken their preposterous imagination to another level by deciding to boycott the prime minister. Oh boy! Has absurdity seen its pinnacle here or it can reach further heights? With Congress in the driving seat you bet it can.

It all started when Bhupendra Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Haryana from Congress party, vowed not to attend any function with Narendra Modi, the prime minster, as the former was booed by the public at a recent event in Kaithal where he had shared dais with Modi. Taking cue from the incident other Chief Ministers from the Congress governed states decided to do the same which is to, well, boycott the prime minister.

Congress ‘high command’ has issued a diktat to its leaders to follow just a ‘Protocol Lakshman Rekha’ that would limit all joint appearances with the prime minister, especially in states headed for election. Now, wasn’t ‘Lakshman Rekha’ meant to be drawn for the vulnerable to provide them a sense of security? So, has Congress with its diktat indiscreetly made admission of its vulnerability? Has it conceded defeat even before heading for the battlefront?

It takes a lot of gumption to defend one’s outrageous act and Congress, I must admit, is one courageous lot that has come out all guns blazing to explain the inexplicable. It has, as one would have expected, blamed RSS & BJP – the two acronyms that are its bête noire for what they stand – for trying to sabotage the upcoming elections in the states by maligning the reputations of its Chief Ministers.

It’s perhaps in Congress DNA to evoke the ever alert conspiracy theorist within them at the slightest hint of RSS or BJP within their firing range. Propelled by its conspiracy unraveling mindset Congress would like us to believe that it lost the general elections so convincingly because the entire nation was hand in gloves with RSS & BJP. It’s in the same vein that the incumbent prime minister, Narendra Modi -the leader of the entire satanic pack of RSS & BJP combine – is so unrealistically popular while their own political bosses; the porters of the holy grail of Indian politicking, the torchbearers of sanctimony in by far the dirty business of politics, the inheritors of the righteous bloodline, the never to be questioned ‘mother’ and the ‘son’, have fallen from the grace.

According to Congress, RSS & BJP are the two sides of the ‘shame’ coin. They are the perpetrators of everything sacrilegious in our otherwise sacred land and it is Congress’ duty to save the country from the satanic forces. It would begin the proceedings from the states where it is still in power, and if it needs boycotting the prime minister, let be it.

Congress party had once boycotted British products in its heydays as it struggled to bring independence to India. From there it has come full circle with its latest tryst with boycottism. While that time Congress was a force to reckon with this time around it has the fear of being brought to the reckoning. How fate changes within a span of two boycotts.

Congress, presently, is facing its worst ever crisis and, at best, should be fighting to keep itself relevant in the current political scenario of the country. And how poorly has it taken to the fight. When its regional satraps are showing unwillingness to share space with their biggest political rival even for pleasantries how would the party propel them for the real battle ahead in the ensuing elections in their respective states is hard to imagine. Perhaps it is in the interest of the Congress to posture aggressively in order to raise the morale of its cadres. But then, who on earth boycotts one’s own prime minister?

There could possibly be a method to Congress’ action. Ever since the ‘lady’ denied the post and seated a ‘puppet’ rather, Congress had subliminally boycotted the prime minister. So, this is probably nothing new from the Congress’ perspective that has shown that our country can run without a prime minister.

It’s true that India has survived through the prime ministerial vacuum for last couple of years when it was run by an invisible hand of God but that wouldn’t mean our honeymoon period with unconditional God’s mercy could be stretched to eternity. It’s only now that we have struck this realization that the vacuum wasn’t natural but a ‘womanmade’ and with Narendra Modi at the helm of affairs we at least get a sense that the vacuum is capable of getting fixed. Of course we would still need God by our side but the desperation seems to have weeded out.

Congress didn’t just run out of the government, its fast running out of ideas as well. It seems to suffer from ‘indispensability syndrome’ given its longevity in the Indian political landscape. Its fragile spots have been deeply exposed but it hardly looks like taking care of them. Its cracks are getting wider everyday but it would do little to repair them. It is in dire need to come to the grip of ‘survival of the fittest’ mantra. By playing persecution card and in boycotting the prime minister it has only made wider it’s just another crack.

Narendra Modi is the stuff Congress’ nightmares are made of. Congress, in its effort to boost the morale, may instruct its people to avoid him but avoid him they can only when they are awake. Can Congress stop its people from hitting the bed and see the devil in their dreams?

We don’t know when the good sense will prevail and Congress would absorb the harsh reality as it exists. The more it perpetuates the denial it has been living in, the more difficult it would be for the party to make a comeback. So, dear Congressmen, I urge you to get real and see the writing on the wall. Act fast and act reasonably, stop once and for all your theatre of the absurd, for you may choose to boycott the prime minister but you certainly can’t choose to boycott your doom.

About The Author: Atul Kapoor is an author of a novel ‘Incredible High’ published in the year 2010. Presently, he is working on his next book which is a group of short stories knitted together to give them a semblance of the novel. He keeps dabbling in poetry and writing articles in between.