The Congress, down and out after the Lok Sabha elections and crippled by a leadership crisis, is suddenly abuzz with activity. There are strong signals that Rahul Gandhi may be on the comeback trail as he takes centre stage in the party’s response to the current pandemic.
The Congress has tried to occupy the moral high ground by extending its hand in “constructive collaboration” to the Union government. In a recent news conference, his first in several months, Rahul said he had many differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but this was not the time to play the blame game. Just two days later, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi set up an 11-member committee to deliberate on the pandemic. While former prime minister Manmohan Singh leads it, the focus is on Rahul, who is also a member. The first item on the committee’s agenda is preparing a report for the government on an economic stimulus package for the micro, small and medium businesses. And, in this regard, Rahul announced on Twitter the launch of a dedicated portal for suggestions from the public.
The former Congress president’s current stance is a far cry from his aggressive onslaught on Modi during the Lok Sabha elections, which seemed to have backfired. In fact, the party’s newfound ally, the Shiv Sena, has praised Rahul for creating a code of conduct on how an opposition party should behave when the country faces a crisis.
“We differ with the government on various issues and we are critical of many of the government’s policies,” said senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, a member of the party’s Covid-19 committee. “But the Congress’s policy is to offer the government constructive support at this crucial juncture. It is our hope that the government will act on them with the same constructive mindset with which we are making these recommendations.”
Opposition chief ministers, too, have collaborated with the Centre. While they have voiced their grievances, especially regarding financial assistance from the Centre, they have been unanimous in their support of the lockdown.
After facing criticism of not taking everyone on board, Modi, too, reached out to chief ministers through video-conferencing, held an online meeting with floor leaders of different parties, and called several senior politicians.
“Today’s discussion reflects constructive and positive politics, reaffirms India’s strong democratic foundations and its spirit of cooperative federalism,” Modi said following the meeting with floor leaders.
The assessment in the opposition camp is that the states would have to collaborate with the Centre as the virus would have a debilitating impact on their finances, and that there is a need to convince the Centre to strengthen the hands of the states.
“As far as the left is concerned, we are of the view that we need a united fight against Covid-19, in which the Centre and the states, both have an important role to play,” said Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader M.B. Rajesh. “Health is a state subject, so the states are at the forefront of the fight. The Centre needs to empower the states. It should help the states with the required financial support and other measures. Mere lip service is not enough.”
Though the opposition has maintained support for the Centre’s measures, it has also flagged lacunae in the response, including inadequate testing, the plight of the stranded poor, lack of personal protection gear for health care workers and the alleged opaqueness of the PM-Cares Fund.
“The government has not really taken the opposition on board,” said DMK Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva. “There is a difference between holding meetings and actually listening to us. However, as a responsible opposition party, we have been raising certain issues, and we are doing what we can on our own to help the people.”
Even amid the collaborative approach, the opposition parties have not forgotten their political interests. In West Bengal, where the BJP is snapping at the heels of the Trinamool Congress, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Modi government of being partisan in its dealings with the state.
On questions about mismanagement by opposition parties in the state, Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien said, “In Bengal, we are carrying on with our work, which has ensured our Covid-19 numbers are better than most other states. The rumours and mischief have to be responded to with facts, figures and public health logic.”
The Congress, meanwhile, slammed the Modi government for delaying action against the virus in Madhya Pradesh as it was allegedly more interested in toppling the Kamal Nath government. It has also brought up the fact that Rahul had, in February itself, warned of the pandemic, but the Centre paid him no heed.
The Congress thinking seems to be this—the pandemic has sidetracked the BJP’s key agenda, including the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens, and there is an opening to bring back focus on bread-and-butter issues, especially as the economic cost of the pandemic would be massive. Timed with Rahul’s apparent willingness to engage with the party’s decision-making process, the economic issues, which he has focused on in the past, could power his comeback.
The BJP has hit back, attacking Rahul for his persistent criticism of the Centre’s Covid-19 policies. “When your main leader is seeking to instigate the common people at the time of a national crisis and is carrying on a tirade against a government that is working day and night in collaboration with the states, how can the Congress be seen as positive in any other exercise?” asked BJP leader Nalin Kohli.
“They cannot speak in a forked tongue, make wild attacks on the one hand and have a committee give reports to the government on the other.”