Under pressure, scoot away

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal, his fragile health deteriorating as the crisis within the party heated up, moved to Bangaluru for naturopathy treatment for cough and asthma. His whereabouts were at least known and his absence felt and noted. But nobody has a clue about Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, supposed to be away for ‘introspection’ about the party’s affairs. While AAP needs organising itself and can await its national rise, the Congress’ struggle deserves closer watching

New Delhi is “ground zero” as two political parties, nation’s oldest and the youngest, fight back their existential troubles. Their woes may be different, but they reflect the same political culture.

The Congress has shaken itself out of its slumber, post its worst electoral defeat, to get back to the streets. It is about time because the prosecution/ persecution of its leaders have begun with ex-PM Manmohan Singh being summoned over the coal scam. Worse is yet to come.By contrast, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), after storming to power in Delhi, has taken no time to experience its first serious internecine war.

Here too, worse may be still coming in. Two developments last week witnessed drama on the streets and in party conference rooms. It spilled over to drawing rooms of the avid TV-surfing class. From cozy confines of its homes, this class is chuckling about where it went wrong – voting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and defeating the Congress, and then defeating BJP in Delhi and electing AAP.

This got dramatised in the form of the tale of two top missing leaders, both running away from problems, hoping their absence would make them feel wanted. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal, his fragile health deteriorating as the crisis within the party heated up, moved to Bangaluru for naturopathy treatment for cough and asthma. His whereabouts were at least known and his absence felt and noted.

But nobody has a clue about Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, supposed to be away for ‘introspection’ about the party’s affairs. He left just when he was needed to lead the charge in and outside Parliament. Nobody has a clue. Is he in Uttarakhand? The party was quick to deny it – but doggedly telling nothing about his location. There are dark hints that he is abroad to “sort out” some sensitive matters. Then, word came that he extended his “leave of absence” from the party and the Lok Sabha, and that he would emerge from his ‘chintan’ only by end-March.

What is worse, Rahul present or Rahul absent? It is essentially curiosity. Engaging in political bitching, the mainstream media derisively calls him the “heir apparent.” Social media says worst things, its postings done under the camouflage of anonymity. The art of ‘trolling,’ perfected by Congress critics and Narendra Modi acolytes during the last Lok Sabha polls campaign, has taken a back seat with not many Rahul defenders left. All this has reinforced perceptions that even if he showed up at any time, that will not set the Yamuna on fire.

With him away, his mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi played the “captain’s innings” when a court summoned Manmohan Singh. She walked – a half-a kilometer though – to Singh’s home, followed by party biggies, to express solidarity with him. Then came the angry Youth Congress protest at the alleged ‘spying’ into the Gandhi home by the police that came looking for Rahul’s ‘profile’. The Delhi Police says it has been doing that since 1958, more intensively now due to heightened security concerns.

From President Pranab Mukherjee and Modi onwards, all leaders, including Sonia, have cooperated. Then why is this hue and cry? Depend upon the Congress to grab an opportunity, especially when it comes to defending “our beloved leader.” The Chandra Shekhar Government was toppled because some Haryana Police were allegedly spying on Rajiv Gandhi.In AAP’s case, the “vice captain’s innings” were played by Manish Sisodia. The nascent Delhi government has to be shown running. He took decisions and issued his government’s report card claiming ‘achievements’ in the first month in office.

The journalist-turned-activist, Kejriwal’s biggest political asset, maintained a smiling presence, minus the AAP cap, though, trying to give the all-is-well impression in the CM’s absence. Although images of a calm Kejriwal doing yoga streamed in from Bengaluru, many AAP volunteers asked why he was not back in Delhi to battle horse-trading charge. His absence was galling for the party and perhaps, himself. AAP stood by him when attacked by the father-son duo Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan and ideologue Yogendra Yadav.

But things changed swiftly and Kejriwal lost some core supporters who are disillusioned by the CD sting operations that allege horse-trading done last year to keep the previous Delhi government going, by poaching on Congress legislators.People are still scratching their heads how AAP’s leadership fell out so badly and so quickly after its stunning electoral victory.Is it power corrupting them all? On the face of it, this is not about positions of power and about ministerial chairs as normally happens with other parties. Much as Kejriwal may wish, he cannot accommodate more than a tenth of the 67 MLAs.

It is essentially a political/ideological battle on how AAP, having captured Delhi, should move. The party is divided on whether it should rest its oars and consolidate in Delhi or seek electoral gains in States that are due for the polls in the near future.It is not surprising since perceptions reinforced by instant analysts are that having defeated the BJP Goliath, and eliminating the Congress in Delhi, AAP is now a serious player. It could pose a threat to BJP elsewhere and replace Congress at some distant stage – distant, because it has a long way to go in terms of organisational cohesion and political prowess. Whether one likes it or not, these come with time and experience.

Remember Telugu Desam of the 1980s and Bahujan Samaj Party of the 1990s? Political evolution is not an instant process.Reports indicate that Kejriwal prefers consolidating in Delhi, while others want to spread out. Significantly, it was Kejriwal who in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls had spread his and his party cadres’ base so thin that he was defeated in both constituencies he contested and AAP lost Delhi. But for the four surprise wins in Punjab, it would have been forgotten, at least nationally.

While AAP needs organising itself and can await its national rise, the Congress’ struggle deserves closer watching. Admittedly, Sonia is no patch on mother-in-law Indira who could grow politically when out of power. But Sonia can work quietly. Her march to Manmohan Singh’s house could be compared to her walking from her residence to that of then opposition leader (now minister) Ram Vilas Paswan, just next door, in 2004. That had begun a silent, slow-motion process of political realignment that culminated in BJP losing the 2004 elections.It is certainly a long shot today, but not to be completely written off.