Editorial

Gandhi, Congress and Gandhis

by the Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

The Congress of Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, was a far cry away from its current enfeebled form. In Mahatma’s time, the stature of its leaders did not foment insecurity among its top ranks. In fact, it was an amalgamation of different personalities that have been battle hardened in the freedom struggle. Their qualities complemented each other.

Congress of today under Gandhis has become an unfortunate family dispute where it has not even remained a shadow of its glorious past. Even in a presidential election of the party being organized after some 30+ years. The party is still seeking a candidate for top office who can be at the beck and call of the family. Though it’s not as impactful a change that should have been implemented, it’s a start nonetheless. Rather than trying to keep its old feudal-like ways of promoting loyalists and progenies from select few families, the new leadership should seek out new ideas and energy in youth. But even a simple task such as public outreach, talking to people, and taking up their cause is something too difficult for a gerontocracy running the day-to-day affairs of the party and completely cut off from the reality on the ground.

Though Rahul Gandhi has taken up ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ or the Unit the Nation Walk from the last tip of the country but with much fanfare and luxury it is not a Dandi march where people from all walks of society joined the father of the nation in challenging the British rule.

Mahatma Gandhi, despite all the insults and mistakes we hurl at him, walked the talk. He lived and died by what he believed to be right, I am not saying he was a perfect man but he was more honest to his cause and belief than many pretenders of today.

We need a dependable opposition that can take up issues such as rising oil and gas prices, inflation, unemployment, and national security but the opposition is in complete disarray. It is a misfortune of this country that regional and national parties combined cannot offer a credible face to the country that can challenge the government on its policies.

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