Congress chief Kapil Sibal
Congress chief Kapil Sibal speaks to The Indian Express on the Bihar verdict, Congress performance within the current bypolls, and extra.
The Congress fared poorly in Bihar, even in contrast with the Left, in addition to the current by-elections throughout states. How do you see the outcomes?
The individuals of the nation, not simply in Bihar however wherever by-elections have been held, clearly don’t take into account the Congress to be an efficient different. That is one conclusion. In any case, the choice in Bihar was the RJD. We misplaced all of the by-elections in Gujarat. Even within the Lok Sabha elections we had not received a single seat there. In a few of the constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress candidates within the by-elections notched up lower than 2% of the votes forged. Three of our candidates in Gujarat misplaced their deposits. So the writing is on the wall. A colleague of mine who is part of the CWC made a press release the opposite day that ‘I hope the Congress introspects’.
If for six years the Congress has not introspected what hope do we have now for introspection now? We all know what’s fallacious with the Congress. Organisationally, we all know what’s fallacious. I feel we have now all of the solutions. The Congress social gathering itself is aware of all of the solutions. However they don’t seem to be prepared to recognise these solutions. If they don’t recognise these solutions, then the graph will proceed to say no. That’s the sorry state of affairs that the Congress is in and that’s what we’re involved about.
If the Congress management is aware of the solutions, why do you assume there’s a reluctance to handle the problems?
There’s a reluctance as a result of the CWC is a nominated physique. Democratic processes have to be adopted and embraced even within the structure of the CWC, which is mirrored within the provisions of the Congress’s structure itself. You don’t anticipate nominated members to begin questioning and lift their considerations concerning the causes for the fixed decline of the Congress in elections after elections.
You and 22 different senior leaders had written to the Congress president giving a raft of solutions. Have you ever heard something from the management?
Since there was no dialogue and there appears to be no effort for a dialogue by the management and since there isn’t a discussion board to precise my views, I’m constrained to precise them publicly. I’m a Congressman and can stay a Congressman and hope and pray that the Congress supplies the choice to an influence construction which has subverted all of the values that the nation stands for.
Not being an efficient different… that may be a actually unhealthy scenario for a celebration.
It’s horrible information. For a very long time, we have now not been an efficient different in Bihar anyway. We’ve not been an alternate in Uttar Pradesh for greater than 25 years. These are huge states. And even in Gujarat, the place we’re the choice within the absence of a 3rd drive… we misplaced all of the Lok Sabha seats and within the current by-elections we have now not been in a position to rating in any respect… So clearly the individuals of Gujarat don’t take into account us an efficient different… In Madhya Pradesh, within the 28 by-elections solely eight of our candidates received.
So the place we have been an alternate the individuals of that state haven’t reposed their confidence within the Congress within the method anticipated by us. So the time for introspection is over. We all know the solutions. The Congress have to be courageous and prepared to recognise them.
Do you assume a democratic election to the CWC and for the submit of Congress president is the reply to the woes that the social gathering is dealing with?
To begin with, we Congressmen should recognise that we’re in decline. Ever for the reason that communication revolution came about, elections have changed into a presidential contest. The Congress wants to find itself. On this presidential type of election we should discover solutions after which determine what we have to do. If we aren’t in a position to recognise our shortcomings, then even the electoral course of won’t result in the specified outcomes. The tradition of nominations should go. Elections by nominations won’t result in the specified outcomes. A few of us put our pen to paper and mentioned what ought to be executed within the Congress on the street forward. As a substitute of listening to us they turned their again on us. The outcomes are for all to see.
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Not that listening to us would have produced dramatic outcomes. Outcomes will solely include time, include credibility, include change in discourse, and include a sure acceptance of our ideological positions. So even when that they had listened to us, we wouldn’t have had nice outcomes. However we no less than could be on the street to rejuvenating the Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
All of us are ideologically dedicated to the Congress. We’re nearly as good Congressmen as any of the others. Our credentials as Congressmen can’t be doubted. We don’t doubt the credentials of others. What we’re saying is that each organisation wants a dialog. Which means listening to others. When you cease listening to others, you should have no dialog. And within the absence of a dialog we can not reach taking ahead our agendas. Within the absence of a critical — and I don’t say introspection as a result of that point is over — within the absence of significantly recognising what the issue is, we won’t be able to give you any resolution.
You talked about that elections have grow to be a presidential contest. Are you able to elaborate?
The character of campaigning has modified. There’s a downside additionally structurally… within the sense that the mainstream media is managed by the ruling social gathering. So we have to uncover a brand new mechanism to achieve out to the individuals. What’s that mechanism? That must be considered. We’ve social media platforms the place the Congress is doing pretty nicely. However once more that’s not producing outcomes on the bottom. So what do we have now to do to provide outcomes on the bottom?
In August, 23 senior Congress leaders had written to the social gathering president, with a raft of solutions.
First we have now to have a dialog; with skilled minds, skilled arms, with individuals who perceive the political realities of India, individuals who know what and methods to articulate within the media, individuals who know methods to get individuals to hearken to them… We want alliances, we have to attain out to individuals. We can not anymore anticipate individuals to come back to us. We’re not the sort of drive that we was once. We have to attain out to others by those that are skilled on this enterprise. However to be able to try this we have now to have a dialog.
So coming again to that query, what do we have to do due to the communications revolution, we have to do a number of issues at a number of ranges — organisationally, articulation within the media in no matter kind, placing up individuals who the individuals need to hearken to, offering an lively, considerate management who can articulate with quite a lot of circumspection.
We should ask ourselves what we’re doing fallacious after which right ourselves. To be on a correction course, we will need to have a dialog with these wedded to the Congress social gathering and skilled sufficient to contribute. It’s not tough to do however it requires reaching out each inside and with out.
Do you the Congress management is taking it as enterprise as standard? Yet one more defeat…
I don’t know. I’m solely speaking about myself. I’ve not heard the management inform me something. So I don’t know. I solely hear voices which encompass the management. That’s all I do know. We’re but to listen to from the Congress social gathering their views on our current efficiency in Bihar and within the by-elections. Possibly they assume all is nicely and that it ought to be enterprise as standard.
In Bihar, the AIMIM received 5 seats. The Muslim vote too appears to be leaving the Congress.
At some stage, that social gathering will grow to be a spoiler. I don’t need to touch upon different events. The very fact of the matter is even once we put up candidates we must always do it in session with our alliance companions so we all know who to place up and our votes don’t get polarised.
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