When the national President of a pan India 140-year-old political party emphatically declares that the “High Command will decide “ it not only raises eyebrows but also raises some fundamental questions on the status or lack of it of the president in question and what exactly is the command and decision-making structure of the political party in question.
The man in question is Mallikarjun Kharge the President of the country’s oldest political party, a party which led from the front and spearheaded the Independence struggle and liberated the country from the clutches of British rule.
Kharge was responding to a question on the likely change of leadership in his home state of Karnataka where the two factions are involved in a battle royale. Chief minister Siddaramaiah wants to retain power and remain Chief Minister while rival and deputy cm D K Shiv Kumar wants the coveted post. An arrangement of two and a half years allotted to each was decided and that changeover is to take place in November this if the “High Command “sticks to its word.
The question then remains is who and what is the high command?
The high command culture was imported by the BJP and other political parties from the Congress, the leader in leading the way in sycophancy and jihazoori to the leader.
The Congress President has been the most powerful person in the party. All other are but mere pygmies.
KC Venugopal has the full power of attorney of Rahul Gandhi and takes decisions according to his whims and fancies.
It would be accurate to say that Rahul Gandhi does not interest himself in the nitty gritty of decision making or keeping a micro eye on the happenings and developments within the party.
But ever since Rahul Gandhi has taken control of the party from Mother Sonia, the dynamics in the party has changed.
He continues to be the supreme leader but does not want to be the party president. He does not want to take responsibility for his actions and decisions but wants to control the levers of power from the back. He enjoys driving but enjoys back seat driving more.
This happened when Rahul was made the party President but after the party’s defeat at the hustings, within just a year and a half of becoming party President he resigned and gladly declared that no one from the Gandhi family would become the party president.
But that was just words and nothing but hot air ranting.
With no one else seen fit to occupy the chair, Sonia Gandhi was “persuaded “to become the temporary congress president “.
That state of affairs lasted quite a while.
The buzz in the party was that Sonia Gandhi was not willing to trust anyone else to become the party President and later vacate the seat for her son Rahul lest he change his mind.
An election was held, Mallikarjun Kharge was the chosen one and Sonia Gandhi reportedly made calls to party leaders asking them to back Kharge. He was the “unofficial” official leadership’s choice for party president.
Rahul Gandhi is the de facto Congress President. All decisions are taken by him and his staff.
Though it would be more accurate to say that a larger number of decisions are taken by Rahul’s man Friday K C Venugopal.
There are occasions when the appointments and lists proposed by Kharge are disposed by Venugopal.
He reportedly has the full power of attorney of Rahul Gandhi and takes decisions according to his whims and fancies.
It would be accurate to say that Rahul Gandhi does not interest himself in the nitty gritty of decision making or keeping a micro eye on the happenings and developments within the party.
That is left to Venugopal.
Mallikarjun Kharge once explained that Sonia Gandhi has been President for 21 years, Rahul Gandhi has been the former president so they all collectively take decisions and may be called the high command.
Out of decorum he refrained from including Venugopal in the high command.
That is the current pitiable situation within the grandest and oldest political party in the country where decisions are not taken, elections are not won, BJP sleeper cells are not thrown out and there is neither accountability nor responsibility and most crucial no political think tank to help take decisions.
Venugopal has a free run, and the party is in free fall!!
No one can blame Mallikarjun Kharge for not believing that he is the High Command!!
Renu Mittal
Renu Mittal is a veteran Journalist of India. She is reporting on the Congress Party affairs since 1983.
