Congress Takes Aim at CEC, but Its Own Punjab Record Comes Back to Haunt It

The Congress party is contemplating renewing its agitation demanding cancellation of SIR and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar soon after the Deepawali festival.

It wants to give a new dimension to its proposed new version of the protests by opening two new fronts. One is the vigilance probe ordered against Gyanesh Kumar in a 20-year-old alleged bribery case when he was the Secretary in the Kerala government, and the second is a demand that Modi should “dare” to come for a debate with Rahul Gandhi on the issue of SIR.

The Kerala state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has ordered a Preliminary Enquiry into a complaint alleging that CEC Kumar demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore when he was the PWD Secretary.

Rahul Gandhi has called a preparatory meeting on Friday to host a Deepawali meet of senior party leaders at his house. Among those attending the meeting are AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Vadra, and other top functionaries. Kerala Chief Minister V D Sateeshan has also reached Delhi and would be participating in the meeting.

It is learnt that this meeting would discuss various issues like the upcoming campaign strategies for UP and Punjab, with special focus on the next course of action to sustain the anti-Gyanesh Kumar campaign the party had taken up.

It will also discuss the need to ensure active participation of other party wings like Indian Youth Congress and NSUI in the protests it undertakes.

This meeting may also discuss the action plan for the next session of Parliament, which is likely to meet later this month.

The question now is whether the Congress-led Opposition will allow the House to function and take up the impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), or whether it will once again resort to disruptions and stage protests outside Parliament.

As regards the Punjab elections, the issue of drug menace will be the main issue of the campaign, but unfortunately, the campaign from both sides, the Congress and the AAP, has taken a new dimension, and the criticism has become more personal rather than on issues. The Congress has so far not come up with any alternative concrete proposals and is limiting itself to the allegation that, when the Punjab CM Bhagwant Man was an MP, he used to come to Parliament after consuming alcohol.

Congress came up with a poster of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal coming out of a poster in Khaki shorts (the dress of the RSS). On the other hand, the AAP has put up posters of a mask coming off Rahul Gandhi’s face with the tagline “Pappu”.

Rahul, during the Sangrur meeting on Thursday, said if Congress is voted to power, it would be the Congress CM sitting in Punjab who would take decisions, unlike remote-controlled governance by Arvind Kejriwal.

But it seems that Rahul has conveniently ignored how Congress CMs do not have the freedom even to decide who should be in the cabinet or whom to put up as a candidate, even for local body elections.

It may be mentioned here that in the 2022 elections, the Congress had won only 18 seats as against 77 in the 2017 elections, which means a decline of 59 seats. The AAP, on the other hand, had won 92 seats.

The Congress lost power in 2022 in Punjab due to Rahul Gandhi’s policies; the Congress changed both the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president and the Chief Minister in the run-up to the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.

Since then, the Congress has not been very active at the ground level, and so far it has not come up with any concrete action plan for Punjab.

The AAP too does not have a very good image. The state is reeling under a serious economic crisis, facing drug menace, cross-border terrorism, and a deteriorating law and order situation, an agricultural crisis, growing unemployment, slowdown of investments, etc.

However, it is also a do-or-die situation for AAP, as Punjab is the only state where it is in power.

In the backdrop of this, the Deepawali meeting of senior leaders hosted by Rahul Gandhi assumes importance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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