The foundations of the Indian National Congress were laid on the theme of nationalism. As long as the party stuck to the theme of nationalism, it remained strong. The last time the party got absolute majority in 1984 was only on the plank of nationalism in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi at the hands of her own Sikh bodyguards.
Although the party managed to form the government at the centre thrice since then, but the absolute majority has eluded it. Leave aside getting absolute majority of its own in the parliament, the party is struggling for survival and has not been able to get a three-digit figure for three consecutive General Elections since 2014.
Whether the party leadership realises it or not, it has handed over the plank of nationalism to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which continues to capitalise on that. The Congress has shown no signs of resistance or challenge to the BJP on the issue of nationalism, although it has much better claims and credentials. Not just nationalism, the BJP has snatched away one of its most powerful leaders and symbols of freedom struggle Sardar Vallab Bhai Patel, credited and celebrated for unifying the country after getting over 500 princely states merged into the union of India.
Now the Congress appears to have woken up to the realisation that, at least, it must redeem leaders like Patel, which was obvious during the AICC session held in Ahmedabad on the banks of river Sabarmati. The party dedicated one day exclusively to Sardar Patel and passed a full resolution named after him, “Flag Bearer of Freedom Movement - Our 'Sardar' - Sh. Vallabhbhai Patel”. The resolution was passed at a special extended meeting of the Congress working committee, which sought to dispute BJP’s claims of Patel having had differences with first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The resolution quoted Patel extensively, where he was highly critical of the RSS. The BJP had not been founded till then. The resolution also specially referred to Patel, as the Union Home Minister who banned the RSS in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi at the hands of Nathuram Godse, who though was not a member of the RSS, but was believed to had been influenced by its ideology.
The party claimed while Patel united India, “the BJP seeks to fragment India's united spirit by creating artificial splits of regionalism, orchestrating scheming divisions of north versus south and east versus west as also wily segregation based on language and culture”.
Accusing the BJP of playing communal politics, the Congress resolution claimed, “Patel believed that the ideology of 'violence and communalism' is inimical to national interests. It was Sardar Patel, who banned the RSS on 4 February, 1948 after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi”. It suggested that RSS attacked Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru and even gave a call for their 'public hanging'.
Picking up Gujarat as the venue of its all-India session and choosing Sardar Patel as the “icon” of the party has obvious reasons. The party wants to pay special attention to the western state where it has been out of power for about three decades. The party has also decided to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Patel, which falls on October 31, at a grand scale this year.
The Congress appears to have crafted a careful strategy. While on the one hand it is seeking to own up Patel, on the other hand the party leader Rahul Gandhi continues to harp on the theme of “caste census” and removing the 50 percent bar on reservation.
This in reality reflects the confusion in the party about the strategy and theme it needs to adopt to restore and broaden its acceptability. Like at the national level, in Gujarat, the Congress will be in direct contest with the BJP. Trying to own up Patel, whom the BJP has already adopted and glorified, may not deliver the party the desired dividends. The Congress may have held its extended CWC meeting in Sardar Patel Memorial Hall, but the BJP has built his mammoth statue, named as the ‘Statue of Unity’.
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No matter how hard the Congress may try, it will be very difficult for the party to take back Patel from the BJP. Not only has BJP owned up Patel, but also projected him as a staunch opponent and critic of Pandit Nehru, something the Congress is trying hard to dispute.
The Ahmedabad ‘resolution’ on Patel reflects Congress’ belated realisation that it should go back to its history to find acceptability among the masses. Patel is one of the greatest symbols of Indian nationalism. But owning up Patel alone will not be enough for the Congress to challenge the BJP’s powerful nationalistic narrative and that too when identity-based nationalism is a global phenomenon from the US to Europe. It will need a coherent, consistent and comprehensive strategy to find mass acceptability. It cannot strategise in bits and pieces and expect to dislodge the BJP so easily.
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