THE POLITICAL resolution passed at the AICC session here Wednesday stressed the Congress’s commitment to the INDIA bloc, while talking about the party’s role in its formation.
In a signal to allies as well as its own ranks about the status of the bloc given its functional paralysis since the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress resolution said: “The Congress has worked in the spirit of constructive cooperation and collective efforts, not only with our time-tested political allies but created and sustained the architecture of ‘India Alliance’ on commonality of people’s issues. We stand committed to continuing this effort even in the future.”
In his address concluding the session, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge referred to the INDIA bloc too and noted that it was united in opposing the Waqf Bill in Parliament. “So, we have to strengthen the INDIA bloc that we have forged… We have to remain united and move forward,” he said.
Interestingly, the draft of the political resolution, presented before the Congress Working Committee on Tuesday, did not have any mention of the INDIA bloc. The paragraph on the alliance was added in the final document.
The resolution also referred to the controversy over the alleged discovery of cash at the New Delhi home of a High Court judge to lay out its stand on judicial accountability vs independence. “While the Congress recognises that an independent judiciary is intrinsic to protection of Constitutional principles and democracy, it is also true that Judiciary must set safeguards and standards for accountability,” the resolution said. “A mechanism for Judicial accountability, without compromising Judicial independence, is the need of the hour.”
In his address, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his stand that the battle between the Congress and BJP was of ideology and that only the Congress could stop the BJP and RSS – the resolution’s affirmation of the INDIA bloc notwithstanding. “Those parties which do not have an ideology and clarity cannot stand up to the BJP and RSS. Only that party which has an ideology can take on the BJP and RSS and defeat the BJP and RSS,” Gandhi said.
In another change from the draft resolution, the final document clearly enunciated ‘secularism’. The only mention in the draft in this regard was a quote by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel that “the Congress and the government are committed to ensuring that India becomes a truly secular state”. The final resolution retained the section with the heading, “National Harmony – Equal Respect for All Faiths”, but added a line after Patel’s quote to say: “Our commitment to secularism is derived from this affirmation and is inspired by the age-old traditions of India, that is Bharat.”
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As reported by The Indian Express, the resolution spelt out the Congress’s stand on “nationalism”, contrasting it to the BJP’s “pseudo nationalism”. This seems a response to voices in the party demanding clarity on the Congress’s ideological position vis-a-vis nationalism.
Additionally, the final resolution projected the Congress as a “trailblazer” in implementing reservations.
Incidentally, during the discussions over the resolution, there were two distinct strands of thought in the Congress about how to deal with the Modi government – one which believes in aggressive criticism of the government and opposition to its every move, and the minority view that the party should put forth a positive, alternative narrative, even while pinpointing the faults of the government.
From Kharge and Gandhi to upcoming leaders like Kanhaiya Kumar and Imran Pratapgarhi, a large section slammed the BJP government’s politics of hate and listed out its “high-handed ways”, including “the capture of institutions” and “attacks on minorities”, and reiterated claims of voter fraud in the Maharashtra elections and the rise of “crony capitalism” – the usual talking points in the Congress’s political rhetoric.
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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who was incidentally asked to second the resolution that was moved by Sachin Pilot, struck a different note. Saying that the party was “reviving” and ready to face the challenges of tomorrow, Tharoor said: “We need to retain and restore the votes we won before but have failed to win in the last three elections. That is where the resolution leads us… in which we express constructive criticism and not mere unrelenting negativity.”
Tharoor also cautioned against depending on just the Congress’s past glory – though the AICC session reflected the same, from the venue to the messaging. “We are all too conscious that the young voters who are the majority today do not apparently give much importance to history. They want to know what we will do for them,” Tharoor said. “The Congress must be a party of hope and not of resentment, a party of positivity, not only of negativism, a party of the future, not just of the past, a party with a positive narrative, and not just criticism.”
