The ‘C’ of the Congress is, these days, synonymous with crisis and confusion. And for good reasons too. The serpentine script of the presidential elections is a classic example of the Congress’s unparalleled ability to create heartburn out of nothing. It all began with Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, being endorsed as one of the principal contestants for the polls. Mr Gehlot had the high command’s blessings. This, too, was for a reason. Sachin Pilot, the Congress’s invisible powers that be had reasoned, could be given the mantle in Rajasthan with Mr Gehlot safely ensconced in Delhi, as it were. Mr Pilot, after all, has been restive for the hot seat in Rajasthan. But then, typically for the Congress, the narrative went awry. Congress MLAs in Rajasthan thwarted this change in state leadership: it remains unclear whether Mr Gehlot, who has since apologised to Sonia Gandhi for this ‘insurrection’, was complicit in the act. A peeved Congress high command was left with egg on its face but given the show of strength by its own lieutenants in favour of Mr Gehlot, he may well hang on to the chair in that state. With Mr Gehlot bowing out of the race, Digvijaya Singh and Shashi Tharoor were left in the fray — for a while. The high command then put Mallikarjun Kharge, perceived to be a loyalist to the Congress First Family, into the mix, forcing Mr Singh to withdraw.

These twists and turns reveal some embarrassing truths. The high command — essentially the Gandhis — continues to call the shots, but from behind the screen. This is a mysterious arrangement and torpedoes the myth of inner party democracy. There is no doubt about the fact that Rahul Gandhi remains the most acceptable face within the party to take on the presidentship. What is the need then for Mr Gandhi to run the party’s affairs through a proxy? His refusal to be president while continuing to have a say in all matters is a blatant contradiction. A leader ought to lead from the front. The ongoing drama is also likely to have a deleterious impact on the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra that appears to have struck a chord. The Congress is rightly pledging to return unity to a divided India. But what about setting its own divided house in order?