REINVENTING INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/pranab-mukherjee-interview-the-congress-has-the-ability-to-adapt-adjust-and-rejuvenate/article19877789.ece

Reinventing Indian National Congress*

Apropos Nistula Hebbar’s interview with Pranab Mukherjee (Wednesday Interview, October 18), one wishes the optimism expressed by the veteran statesman gets transmitted down the line in the Congress party which needs a total revamp for its own survival.
Indian National Congress, by heredity and habits never thought of the role of a real ‘Opposition’ in parliamentary democracy. Britishers, when they left India, had handed over the responsibility to govern India to Congress leaders. Almost till Nehru was there, winning elections was never a major problem for Congress. This induced an air of over-confidence among party leaders and something close to arrogance down the line among party cadres.
Converse was also true. Opposition parties in India never imagined that a time will come when the responsibility of governing India will fall on their shoulders. The resulting dichotomy in the thought process of political leaders in India has, by an large, contributed to the emergence of coalition politics in the country which did not care about ideologies, but concentrated on the arithmetic of sharing of seats and somehow capturing power at any level, from gram panchayats to national level.
If the present managers of  Congress party takes the message now given by Pranab Mukherjee and transforms the party into a democratic organization with national interest as a priority, India will benefit immensely. Political parties have equal responsibility on either side of the dividing line in legislatures to ensure rule of law and uphold the spirit of Indian Constitution.

M G Warrier, Thiruvananthapuram
*The Hindu has published a slightly edited version of this response as "Letter to the editor" on October 20, 2017.
Use the following link to read the published version:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/letters/congress-road-ahead/article19884780.ece

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