Why is the Congress silent and not responding to allegations against it by rivals?

By Deepak Parvatiyar

February 5, 2015

What does low-key campaigning in Delhi imply for the Congress? On surface it appears as if a spate of poll reversals in recent months has seemingly pushed the party into an introspection mould. There is no blitzkrieg, no pomposity, no zeal to defend the continuous charges of corruption levelled against its leaders by the rival parties; and there have been only a handful of rallies by its tallest leaders – Party President Sonia Gandhi and her heir apparent, Rahul.

Does it mean that the grand old party is yet to formulate a definite strategy to recover from the recent defeats at the hustings?

Consider the pyrotechnics of its rivals – the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Thus far it has been a no holds barred campaigning by both for the 7 February assembly elections in Delhi. Both, unlike the Congress, have shown no compunction in crossing swords with each other, even if it meant hurling abuses and accusations. A sample of this was the BJP’s CM aspirant Kiran Bedi filing a police complaint against the AAP’s Kumar Vishwas, her one time comrade during the Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement in 2012, for allegedly making sexist remarks against her; or the AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal apprehending “fake sting operations” by rival parties against the AAP!

Congress has refrained from indulging in blame game

The Congress in sharp contrast has thus far distanced itself from such gimmicks and has mostly refrained from indulging in blame game with its rivals. Consider how a semi-retired Sheila Dikshit – who is still making guest appearances at party rallies and whose achievements the party is now showcasing to get votes – is silent this time. Isn’t this the time for her to pay the AAP back in the same coin as the latter had done to her in 2013 when she lost as the sitting CM to her challenger and the AAP’s eventual CM, Kejriwal? She was then the target of a vicious attack by Kejriwal. Yet, this time when given an opportunity, she chose only to mildly rebuke the AAP by recounting how it failed to “achieve anything” in 49-days of its government in Delhi, and by asking that how Kejriwal – “a leader who runs away” (by unceremoniously resigning as CM in 49-days) can be “trusted again.” What further came as a big surprise was Dikshit’s statement that the Congress would support the AAP, if “need arises to keep the communal forces at bay” – a statement which her party immediately disowned.

Ostensibly Sheila’s statement did bring to light the lack of consensus within the party on its poll strategy vis-à-vis Delhi. Already the fissures within the city Congress were exposed when the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Arvinder Singh Lovely withdrew from the fray the moment another Delhi Congress strongman Ajay Maken was made in charge of the campaign.

Yet considering that infighting had perceptibly dogged other parties too, and that the prospects of a hung assembly again this time had forced the perceived main contenders, the AAP and the BJP, to resort to high-decibel and personality based campaigning, these issues alone could not be the reason for the rather low-key campaigning by the Congress this election in Delhi.

So what could be the strategy behind launching the campaign late when the Aam Aadmi Party as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party were almost half way through their respective campaigning? Besides, the Congress’s canvassing is also devoid of any catchy slogan or eye grabbing gimmicks that its rivals have indulged into. The party has also largely ignored the repeated reference to its “corrupt rule” by its rivals.

Yet, this “studious silence” is also reflective of the party’s present shaky position on the political firmament. In other words, at a time when the Congress seems to be fighting for a revival of its fortunes in Delhi, it does sound rather unfathomable that the party keeps a low profile as its silence could be construed as its admission of conceding defeat.

Yet, as it is said, silence is the thing, amid the din!

It makes logic for the Congress to stick to a low profile

It is perceptibly clear that the Congress has limited chances in Delhi this time. Its disastrous performance in the 2013 assembly elections where it could win just eight of the 70 seats, and in last year’s general elections where, out of seven, it could not retain even a single Lok Sabha seat in Delhi, are enough indications.

It makes logic therefore for the Congress to stick to a low profile, bide its time and strike at the right time when others are indulging in high-decibel campaigning.

It may be said that under the prevailing situation where the main battle seems to be between the BJP and the AAP, if at all the Congress has any chance to stage a comeback, it is only in case of a hung assembly, where it could well stand a chance to play a role in government formation. Considering that the election is equally crucial for the AAP as it would be the last chance for the latter to remain politically relevant, the Congress could then be perhaps in a good bargaining position and hope the AAP to yield unlike the last time.

Yet, any possibility of a hung House arises only when:
a) The votes are not vertically split between the Congress and the AAP, as this would result in the BJP gaining an upper hand.
b) The Congress holds its ground either by improving its number of seats or at least retaining the eight seats that it had won last time, hoping the AAP also retains its 28 seats.

Considering the highly improbable prospect of the Congress springing up any surprise by out-rightly winning the elections, the situation is rather tricky for the party. It needs to win enough to keep both the AAP as well as the BJP away from power. At the same time it needs to regain its traditional voters who have drifted to the AAP.

These indeed are the challenges before the party, which is so strongly written off by poll pundits this election. Hence, its booklet is named ’49 Din Kee Ultee Chaal, Dilli Hui Behal’ to “expose” the AAP! Joining hands with the BJP in demanding cancellation of Kejriwal’s nomination for declaring “wrong residential address” is also a stride in that direction.

This selective low-key approach therefore sounds a well-calculated move by the Congress. This ensures that the party could focus better on consolidation of votes in its perceived strongholds without attracting much attention.

With a jibe on ‘untrustworthy’ Kejriwal, whether the Congress can effect a hung assembly with the low-key campaigning by its ‘trusted and tested faces’ is to be seen? The party does desperately need to recover the space it yielded to the AAP last time, what if in parts, to keep itself politically relevant after theDelhi elections. So doesn’t it require going for the “silent” kill when odds are all against it? After all, one can lie low, yet still attack! True?