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OP-ED OCTOBER 21, 2022 | The Indian Eye 14

Kharge, Congress after Gandhis and Nehru

Views and opinions from the top commentators in Indian media

his is perhaps the point to
underscore, something that
Tis missed by many observers,
unknowingly or deliberately. Ra-
hul Gandhi kept himself aloof from
the election process and refused the
fervent pleas of innumerable party
leaders and cadres to take the pres-
idency once again. The election thus
became necessary. But this election
does not decide who the undisputed
leader of the party is and will remain.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will
in different ways continue to provide
leadership and guidance to the par-
ty for the future even as the stature
of Kharge grows. He will look after
the routine organizational responsi-
bilities guided by the top leadership
that will have more time to work on
the vision and outreach as we go into
election 2024 mode. How things will
be streamlined and the consultative
process fine-tuned will be worked
out at the top. People who do not
understand the ethos and culture of
our party should just wait to see how
things at the top will be managed.
It would suffice at present to un- Newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge arrives to brief the media after his win, at his residence in New Delhi on Wednesday (ANI)
derscore that for the past 20 years,
through thick and thin, the party has
been deeply attached to the Gandhis did not happen. After all he had cam- for the Gandhis. In fact, the Gandhis not toe Nehru’s ideology as a free-
and indeed, it was their decision and paigned extensively touring states like may be relieved that Tharoor did not dom fighter.
foresight to give this opportunity to Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu poll more than 10 per cent votes as it Do these legislative compromises
evolve another model of leadership. and UP. He was hoping to tap on the does not rob them of the moral au- indicate Nehru’s ideological promis-
It is important that we give it a chance. latent discontent within the party. thority to remote control Kharge. It cuity? I argue not. Nehru was leading
Time will tell how this helps the par- That is why party MP Karti Chidam- is possible 416 votes were deliberately a young, massive, impoverished na-
ty and the country. Instead of finding baram, backing Tharoor remarked” found invalid. Tharoor’s campaign tion in the post-colonial world, raring
fault with what we have done, it is We are very pleased that we crossed team had flagged “extremely serious to forge its own identity by lending
time for our critics to put their mon- the four-digit mark – 1,072 votes”: irregularities” in the conduct of the itself to democracy with universal
ey where their mouths are. Change In 2000, when Jitendra Prasada election in Uttar Pradesh. franchise — a political system that
by evolution is not to be devalued contested against Sonia Gandhi, he had never been tried in India before.
against change by revolution, because had polled a paltry 94 votes failing --Editorial, The Indian Express All the while, the ghosts of Partition
the cost of the latter can be very high to reach the three-digit mark as So- NEHRU THE LEGISLATOR hung about like a dense winter smog.
and unpredictable. nia Gandhi polled 7, 400 votes. In In Nehru’s mind, restricting the right
1997, when Sitaram Kesri was elected he first amendment to the Con- to life was necessary to keep Assam
--Editorial, The Times of India
party president, he had polled 6,224′ stitution came within months in the Union, restricting S.P. Mook-
THE THAROOR CAMP votes while Sharad Pawar got 882 and Tof its original adaptation. It in- erjee’s freedom of speech — he was
Rajesh Pilot polled 354.Little wonder serted a restriction to free speech that unremittingly calling for war with Pa-
lection of Mallikarjun Kharge then that Tharoor who lost the elec- could harm “friendly relations with kistan — was necessary to avoid war
as Congress President by a tions felt that the revival of the party foreign states”. In the same amend- and bloodbath, restricting the benefit
Ecomfortable margin — he “has truly begun today”. After all, win- ment, the right to free ownership of of reservations to Hindus and Sikhs
polled 7897 votes against Shashi Tha- ning trust and confidence of a 1000 property was trammelled too, por- was necessary for his bigger audience.
roor’s 1072 — was on predictable plus party delegates spread across tending the end of the centuries-old --Kabeer Shrivastava,
lines. His election was hailed as he the country is no small achievement. zamindari system. The abolition of The Telegraph (India)
became the first non-Gandhi presi- Even if the entire voter list is some- zamindari was the stated intention of
dent to be elected after 25 years since thing that had been hand-picked by Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Every week, we look at what the top
Sitaram Kesri. Kharge with blessings the Congress high command The wa- leadership since the mid-1930s and it commentators in the Indian media are
of the Gandhis was destined to win. It ger in the party circles was that if Tha- fit perfectly in line with Nehru’s Fa- talking about and bring to you a slice
is only that Tharoor had hoped to poll roor had polled more than 25 % of the bian socialism, but it added another of their opinions and comments
about 2000 to 2,500 votes and that votes cast it could have spelt trouble restriction to free speech, which did

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