‘We broke Pakistan into two pieces,’ Congress makes a determined try and performs nationalism card to get again in energy

In the previous few years, particularly after the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress social gathering misplaced the narrative on Nationalism. Congress couldn’t align itself with the rising wave of nationalism the world over together with in India within the final decade. Moreover, its ideological place on National Interest was questioned a number of instances in the previous few years as a result of it had no clear stance on a number of points like- abolition of Article 370; Surgical strikes of Pakistan; and terrorist assaults by Pakistan. Therefore, with the intention to reclaim the Nationalist narrative, the Congress social gathering is planning a grand occasion to have a good time the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president, has already fashioned a committee beneath the management of former defence minister A Okay Antony. “The Congress President has approved the formation of a committee to plan and coordinate the activities of the Indian National Congress to commemorate the historic 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Liberation War won in 1971,” stated the social gathering in a press release. The Congress social gathering does have a Nationalist legacy because it was the first group to be concerned in Nation constructing. The social gathering has been led by staunch Nationalist leaders until the mid-Nineties. But, after Sonia Gandhi took over the social gathering management in mid-1998, the social gathering realigned itself to the left to counter BJP.Sonia Gandhi began Congress’s alliance with Communist events, which attempt for a worldwide alliance of human beings as an alternative of ‘National Interest’. In 2004, she fashioned the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), an umbrella group of Centre-left events to bag the chair of PM for a Congress member.After the UPA authorities got here to energy in 2004, Italian born Sonia Gandhi, who herself couldn’t be Prime Minister, ‘placed’ Manmohan Singh on the prime minister’s chair whereas the true energy was within the arms of specifically constituted National Advisory Council (NAC), which was chaired by Mrs Gandhi.The NAC, an advisory physique arrange by the UPA authorities to advise the Prime Minister of India ran a shadow authorities within the nation. The NAC was the brainchild of erstwhile Sonia Gandhi who used the NAC to supersede the choices taken by Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet. In a nasty present of energy and connivance, the NAC rendered Manmohan Singh and the Cabinet powerless.NAC was full of anti-National activists like Deep Joshi, Farah Naqvi, Mirai Chatterjee, Virginius Xaxa. The advocates of maximum leftist policies- Harsh Mander, Jean Dreze have been additionally a member of NAC.Under the management of Sonia Gandhi, the Congress social gathering took a leftward flip. The ‘Nationalist’ leaders of Congress social gathering have been sidelined and the ability was positioned within the arms of non-elected activist sort individuals.As the social gathering misplaced the narrative on Nationalism (a very powerful foreign money to win elections within the period of hyper-nationalism), its electoral prospects additionally declined, particularly typically elections. Rahul Gandhi, who usually finds Communist social gathering leaders on his each side (Yechury on one and D Raja on the opposite), has not been in a position to counter PM Modi on nationalism, though he succeeded to some extent on financial narratives. Communist events of India, that are something however Nationalist, have develop into a baggage to Congress, however they’re solely ones who’re able to stroll behind Rahul Gandhi. Congress needs to reclaim the Nationalist legacy with the celebration of the Bangladesh liberation conflict, however with the incompetent management of Rahul Gandhi, success won’t come simply.