Dear Rahul Gandhi, here's what you could do to save the Congress

After decimation came introspection. A very very disappointed Congress Presidnet Sonia Gandhi told the press that she would reflect on the grand old party’s dismal performance in Delhi, MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, even while insisting that her incumbent governments in Delhi and Rajasthan had done a good job.

Rahul Gandhi was more ambitious when he promised to involve the Aam Aadmi (not the party) in the workings of the Congress. The irony of his statement (coming from the Vice President of a party which claims to be wedded to the cause of the Aam Aadmi) clearly escaped him. Still, he promised that he would do ‘it’ better than AAP, in a way that would challenge the imagination of us ordinary Indians.

Here’s an unsolicited suggestion to Rahul Gandhi as he contemplates how to life his party from the nadir. Why doesn’t he make a start by involving the Aam Congressman in the decision-making process of his party? Speaking before Rahul, Sonia Gandhi dropped a hint that the Congress would name a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 General Election at an appropriate time. Now, this could be any time between tomorrow and next April when the General Election gets underway. It could equally be after the election, in true Congress style. Rahul should insist that the party’s PM candidate be projected sooner rather than later.

He should follow that insistence by insisting that the PM candidate be chosen in an open election in which every primary member of the party has a vote. Rahul would, of course, be most welcome to enter this intra-party process as a candidate. But recent evidence suggests that he isn’t really interested in the job, not in 2014 anyway.

If the High Command (read mother and son) anoints the Prime Ministerial candidate in the manner of a monarch (a la Manmohan Singh), the voters of India will know that the Congress has had no real change of heart. If, on the other hand, the candidate is chosen in an open election, Rahul’s promise of reforming the Congress will at least sound genuine.

The Family’s confidence trick with Manmohan Singh – he the deserving technocrat-turned-politician – has been found out. India will not accept another puppet as PM. Remote controls cannot run governments effectively. India will no longer accept Rahul Gandhi’s numerous (but ultimately false) promises of reforming his party. He needs to do something dramatic to restore even an ounce of faith.

It’s no use invoking the merits of the Aam Aadmi Party as long as the Aam Aadmi in the Congress Party has no say in its politics. Words have never been Rahul’s forte. Perhaps then radical action can save a fast sinking political trajectory.