Congress' debacle

Founded in 1885, the Indian National Congress which has a glorious past in India's struggle for freedom from the British rule has been reduced to rubble after the recent round of assembly elections. The party once associated with Mahatma Gandhi is now surviving only in a handful states of North, South and NE India. The culture of dynastic politics has been a detrimental force for this fall. Poor management and leadership within inner ranks of the party and allegations of corruptions have caused the party to lose the most important gift of democracy: support of ordinary citizens. The few small states in the NE India will be soon under BJP and/or NDA influence with their landslide victory in the recent Assam assembly elections. Unless serious attempts are made by Congress to reach the ordinary citizens, counter the alleged corruption and build a new and credible leadership, it will have hard time in keeping some of its legislators and parliamentarians from switching party for their personal benefits as demonstrated in Assam, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. 

Saikat Kumar Basu
Lethbridge, AB, Canada