Thank non-Gandhis for putting up the fight

Largely in the dock over personal attacks on Narendra Modi due to seemingly petulant rant by the Gandhi clan and its acolytes, the Congress party does have a thinking leadership in the second and the third rungs. Alas, they never get to prominence, overshadowed as they are by the zealous and self-serving bhakts of Gandhis. The party is currently facing outrage from the public over an “objectionable post” containing foul language made against actress-turned politician Kangana Ranaut by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate. Though, the party condemned the comments, the BJP is sure to kick up dust.

Modi critics feel saddened that good opportunities are squandered away by the impulsive netas of Congress out to grab the attention of the Gandhis. Be that as it may, for a change policy-wise, the party is, indeed, making some thought-provoking pitch to put the Modi-led BJP on the mat. Thank the non-Gandhi think-tank that is propping up a flailing party.

The other day, senior leader and former MP Sandeep Dikshit laid out the Congress strategy and tore into the BJP leadership on many a pertinent issue that warrant nation’s attention. To start with, the party took up the concerns of the working class, claiming it suffered the worst under the Modi regime. Primarily, poor enforcement of labour laws adds to their woes. The CAG had also noted that several factors were diluting the adjudication process, denying justice to the labourers.

The Congress manifesto will rightly vow to revive labour laws to protect the working class interests, says Dikshit. Among the benefits promised to the workers would be right to health, urban employment guarantee, hike in wages for MGNREGA workers up to ₹400. Scoffing at the existing Labour Codes, the party spokesperson says they will bring back the labour laws. In a startling claim, Dikshit highlighted the party charge that after 2014-15, about 6.5 crore people had migrated from other places and gone into agriculture – “first time in country’s history”.

On the other side, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge points out that the growth rate of wages between the period 2014-15 and 2021-22 was less than one per cent per year during the tenure of the Modi government.

Inflationary trends remain above the RBI threshold level of 4 per cent, another leader Jairam Ramesh recalls, adding that there have been a range of negative indicators during the Modi regime, including a 47-year low in the savings growth rate, a stagnation of domestic credit to the private sector and a flat labour-force participation rate.

Economists also point to the rising joblessness and say India has been adding just about 4 million jobs a year for over a decade, as against the need for 20 million jobs for a year. It is the Centre that has to rally State governments to address and meet the target. We did not see any collective campaign so far.

Other Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor keep raising such issues as betrayal of farmers, weakening of institutions, crony capitalism, misuse of central agencies, betrayal of farmers over MSP, and, the cultivation of hate. The Modi government also raised petrol and diesel prices significantly over the years, which also pushed up the LPG prices, burdening households. Demonetisation, GST also had a negative impact, they claim.

Such issues, not personal attacks, need energetic push by Gandhis. It will be a pleasant change on the part of INDIA bloc and give it a potent edge in the fiercely contested elections, if other partners, too, raise relevant questions and challenges facing the nation, to offset increasing polarisation in favour of NDA, chiefly BJP.