Explained: The challenges that await Mallikarjun Kharge as he takes charge of the Congress
Explained: The challenges that await Mallikarjun Kharge as he takes charge of the Congress
Winning the Congress presidential election was the easy part for Mallikarjun Kharge; the 80-year-old veteran received 7,897 votes while his competitor three-time Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor finished with 1,072.
Now, comes the acid test for the veteran, who shall take over the mantle from Sonia Gandhi — this is the first time in more than 20 years that the party will have a non-Gandhi at the helm, the last such chief Sitaram Kesri was unceremoniously removed in 1998 just after two years into his five-year term.
Kharge will be expected to hit the ground running — the next general elections are due in just a little over 18 months and the Congress is in need of reforms to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janat Party (BJP).
Let’s take a closer look at the challenges the Congress stalwart Mallikarjun Kharge faces.
Stepping out from Gandhi shadow
First and foremost, Kharge will have to prove that he is more than just a Gandhi loyalist.
After his name emerged in the Congress presidential race, it was reported multiple times that he had the backing of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi despite the fact that they had announced that there would be no ‘official’ candidate.
In fact, his opponent, Shashi Tharoor, had remarked about the “difference in treatment” between him and Mallikarjun Kharge by some office bearers. Addressing a press conference, Shashi Tharoor had said he had been facing differential treatment from the party leaders as “several PCCs, leaders welcomed and met Kharge sahib” but the same courtesy wasn’t extended to him.
Now, as Congress chief, Kharge will have to prove to people that he is not just a proxy for the Gandhi family and is actually in control of the party.
However, Kharge has unequivocally said to Indian Express that while he may not consult the Nehru-Gandhi family on every decision, he would seek their “guidance” and “suggestions” since the Gandhis had experience helming the party. He said there was nothing to be ashamed about in seeking their counsel as he believed in a collective approach, not an individualistic style of functioning.
He told the national daily, “The long experience of Sonia Gandhi, 20 years as party president… two years of Rahul Gandhi… they know the people in every nook and corner of the country… They have done good things like the food security Act, compulsory education, NREGA, RTI, all these Acts were brought by Sonia… You want that I should not take guidance from her? She is a key player in the Congress. It is not (about) simply a family, but commitment to a certain ideology… and that work and ideology have helped the country have peace, equality and liberty.”
Reform the Congress and infuse energy
The most important and difficult task ahead of Kharge is reforming the Congress party.
Since 2014, the Congress losses have been endless; the crisis multi-dimensional. Loss of power at the Centre, a debacle in two successive general elections. Failure to even become a recognised principal opposition party, humiliating defeats in several states, especially Uttar Pradesh, the defeat of Rahul Gandhi in the pocket borough of Amethi in May 2019, the party becoming virtually dead in UP, and regional parties becoming more assertive.
The party has also seen exits of several big names — Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kapil Sibal, Sunil Jakhar, Hardik Patel and Amarinder Singh. Several of these leaders had faulted the leadership when they quit the party, with many of them joining hands with the BJP.
Kharge will have to put in all his dedication and stamina in setting the house in order.
Kharge will have to energise and empower the cadres on the ground level. He will have to empower party units down the line by allowing them to take decisions that they can take for themselves.
The task is easier said than done.
Moreover, the veteran leader will have to show the public that criticisms against the party and its functioning have been heard and make changes. For that, he will have to change the high-command nature that rules the party presently.
The new party chief has to race against time, given that a dozen Assembly polls are scheduled in the next 17 months before the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024. They include the Himachal Assembly polls, which have already been announced and the one in Gujarat, the home turf of Modi-Shah, scheduled by December. The election in Jammu and Kashmir, the first since the state was turned into Union Territory, is expected in the next six months. Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh will have polls next year.
Journalist Poornima Joshi has been quoted by the BBC as saying “he does not have the dynamism” to give a fresh edge to the party nationally.
“He is a decent man and a rooted politician. No-one can call him a lightweight. But in terms of reinvention of the Congress, Kharge does not exactly fill the vacuum that exists in the party.”
Furthermore, it’s unlikely that he will be able to challenge the Modi-Shah combine.
Dissension in the ranks
Among the many tasks for the new Congress chief, dissension among the ranks will be a top priority.
The defiance in the Rajasthan state unit between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot will be a litmus test for Kharge. The turbulence in the party that came to a head in September, costing the chief minister a run at the top party post, has not yet been resolved.
Any attempt to dislodge Gehlot is likely to face resistance and perhaps, plunge Rajasthan into political turmoil.
Kharge will also have to deal with the fractures in the Karnataka state unit — between Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, both of whom harbour chief ministerial ambitions.
Dissent is also brewing over the recent appointment of Brijlal Khabri as the UP Congress Committee (UPCC) chief. Many state leaders are miffed with the top brass for choosing a turncoat over those who have been slogging for years. Khabri, a former BSP leader, joined the Congress in 2016.
Overcoming North-South divide
Political observers are sceptical about Kharge’s appeal with the people. They wonder if a politician from the south will hold any sway with those in the North — especially in the populous state of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Hailing from Karnataka’s Bidar, Kharge’s political run has been limited to his home state alone. In 1972, he contested the Assembly elections from Gurmitkal and since then he has won it nine consecutive times. In 2009, he moved to the political centrestage in Delhi when he was elected from Gulbarga constituency for the first time to the Lok Sabha. He won a second term in 2014 but lost to the BJP candidate in 2019.
Only time will tell if Kharge will be considered a good Congress chief but for now he has a mountain of a task ahead of him.
With inputs from agencies
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