Meghalaya produced several seasoned leaders. They always served the state and their respective parties with utmost sincerity and diligence. Among them, the Indian National Congress has been much preferred over others. By and large, its leaders in Meghalaya had won the trust of the majority of the electorates. But of late we hear the murmurs of discontentment among the leaders of this national party. The recent defection of 12 Congress MLAs to TMC at one go in the state has sent a fearful tremor across the country. The reasons why so many leaders are unhappy with one of the oldest parties are not very difficult to notice.
As claimed by many, this party firmly believes more in the family than democratic principles. This had irked even our very veteran leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker – late PA Sangma leading to the formation of NCP. TMC is another offshoot of the same Congress which is now emerging as a stronger force. Going by various comments on social media it can be concluded that the “family interest” always reigns supreme here in INC. Sycophancy is the hallmark of this party. This party has never found a single suitable leader to hold the party presidentship in over a decade except from the Gandhi family. Its humble leaders are so much “loyal to the family” that they forget their own individuality.
What is most astonishing is that the dutiful party leaders continue to admire Rahul Gandhi though he lacks even the basic acumen of a diplomatic leader. His morning speech clashes with that of the evening. Nothing could be more amazing than when people continue to applaud him, and he gets more charged up! He often utters promises which are totally impractical. A joke is still going round about his vehement claim of introducing a machine that would turn potatoes into gold.
Yes, there are countless instances when its key party members were publicly humiliated. Former President of India late Pranab Mukherjee at times expressed his displeasure against the Gandhi family. Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma defected from the party and joined BJP when his self-esteem got hurt. This cost the party dearly in Assam. Please find out who is to blame? Former Punjab Chief Minister – Amarinder Singh retorted with his “shikhis bluntness” against the party when he was unceremoniously shown the door. Were there any solid reasons to sideline the popular and astute Punjab Chief Minister then? Has it not consequently damaged party image in the eyes of the public? A senior journalist Patricia Mukhim points out – “The infamous moniker ‘grand old party’ seems hellbent on committing political suicide from Punjab to Meghalaya”.
With so many successive election defeats and failures in the past several years, the party should have chosen to sit for the deep soul-searching. But, too unfortunately, this has never happened. Sonia Ji still wears the queen’s crown with pride while Rahul Gandhi roars with immaturity. One wonders when the crown will be put on the head of the non-Gandhi leaders. Were Lyngdoh, Sangma, Gogoi, Tharoor, Scindia, Chidambaram not more efficient and eligible for the party high command post? One social activist remarks – “Ampareen Lyngdoh or Gaurav Gogoi is diplomatically more prudent than Rahul Gandhi.” Of course, the true spirit of democracy in the party always attracts more leaders. No doubt we badly need a good opposition party, not the violent, for a healthy political ecosystem. The political party should inspire, and not “incite” our youths to the act of cruelty as witnessed post-election in West Bengal.
All should agree that buzzword ‘KHELA HOBE’ should not “impinge” upon communal harmony and sovereignty of the country — many are very apprehensive. All leaders should stand together to “safeguard the integrity” of the nation. ‘Sabka sath, sabka vikas’ of PM Narendra Modi can certainly uphold the constitutional doctrines of the nation.
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