Rahul: Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions and numerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019.
What Rahul could be meaning: The reference appears to be to those who have been an integral part of the leadership structure in the states and at the high command. Committees which managed the election, leaders in both Houses of Parliament, chief ministers and general secretaries.
Rahul: The attack on our country and our cherished Constitution that is taking place is designed to destroy the fabric of our nation. In no way, shape or form am I stepping back from this fight. I am a loyal soldier of the Congress party and a devoted son of India and will continue to serve and protect her till my last breath.
What role might Rahul be seeing for himself: Possibly, a star campaigner, motivator and trouble-shooter.
Rahul: I personally fought the PM, the RSS and the institutions they have captured with all my being. I fought to defend the ideals India was built upon. At times, I stood completely alone and am extremely proud of it.
What Rahul could be meaning: Rahul was alone in making direct attacks on Narendra Modi on the Rafale scandal and referring to Amit Shah’s controversial past. His attacks on Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were not appreciated within the party. His insistence on schemes like Nyay and opposition to the Land Acquisition Act were also greeted with indifference. His decision to run a Modi-centric campaign was also not endorsed by key players in the Congress.
Rahul: It is now crystal clear that our once cherished institutional neutrality no longer exists in India.
What Rahul could be meaning: He is hinting at the role of the judiciary, the media, the Election Commission, agencies like the CBI, ED, RBI, Niti Aayog and the bureaucracy in general.
Rahul: The stated objectives of the RSS, the capture of our country’s institutional structure, is now complete. Our democracy has been fundamentally weakened. There is a real danger that from now on, elections will go from being a determinant of India’s future to a mere ritual.
What Rahul could be meaning: One-party dominance because of the control on institutions and the enormous resources at its command will destroy the level playing field and reduce elections to formalities as is the case in countries like Russia.
Rahul: The Indian nation must unite to reclaim and resuscitate our institutions. The instrument of this resuscitation will be the Congress party. To achieve this important task, the Congress Party must radically transform itself.
What Rahul could be meaning: By radical transformation, his emphasis is structural and related to organisational hierarchy and affiliated outfits, not ideological.
Rahul: It is a habit in India that the powerful cling to power, no one sacrifices power. But we will not defeat our opponents without sacrificing the desire for power and fighting a deeper ideological battle.
What Rahul could be meaning: Power in this context is organisational positions — leader of House, general secretary, state chief, MP and MLA. He is contending that the tendency to protect one’s own position creates vested interests and cliques, weakening a merit-based process of succession and change.
Compiled by Sanjay K. Jha
