“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”– T. S. Eliot
But the Congress has not passed by this and continues to play secure. And this aversion to dangers is extra obvious nowhere than in West Bengal. The State has seen completion of two phases of polls and in each, the Congress was conspicuous by its absence or its torpid perspective. Some sporadic campaigning and some press conferences apart, most Congress leaders have remained elusive.
The State President of the Congress occasion, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has largely centered on his dwelling turf below his Lok Sabha constituency of Murshidabad and in some elements of Howrah.
The Congress is in an alliance with the ISF and the Left within the state and is contesting in 92 seats out of the whole 294. In the primary two phases, the Congress contested in 13 seats, however one barely noticed senior or high-profile leaders coming for campaigning. State in-charge Jitin Prasada was nearly a lone ranger with a couple of others who got here often.
Top Congress sources say that whereas an intensive star campaigner record has been drawn up for every part, the main focus will solely be on the final three phases the place the occasion has some appreciable presence. One Congress chief mentioned: “We won’t waste out energy where we have no presence. We will bring all our stars in the last few phases where we have stakes.”
This is in sharp distinction to the BJP model. Said a pacesetter of the G23 (a bunch of 23 dissenting Congress leaders): “A few years back, BJP was a nobody in Bengal. But they remained at it? And today they are the main challengers. They never play safe. They take risks and it pays. Eventually, they emerge as chief challengers and also build a perception that every election does matter and they are fighters. The Congress cannot live a cotton wool existence. Rules of the game have changed.”
One extra purpose why Gandhis, particularly Rahul Gandhi, are staying away is due to an alliance with the Left in Bengal clashes with the Congress opposition to it in Kerala. He stayed away from the joint Samyukt Morcha rally in Kolkata as he needed to play secure, he mentioned.
Another drawback which has surfaced is the unhappiness of Adhir with the ISF alliance. He fears it might eat into his minority vote financial institution in Murshidabad and if it succeeds it may carry issues for him within the Lok Sabha polls.
So far, the Congress has not even campaigned for its allies. For instance, Meenakshi Mukherjee, the Left candidate from Nandigram, was seen braving it alone along with her cadre. The Congress flags had been nowhere to be seen.
The Congress taking part in it secure has posed an issue for the State management. Those who determined to remain again within the occasion regardless of many becoming a member of the the TMC and the BJP marvel what’s the purpose being within the occasion which is inactive. Said one MLA, “The TMC took away more than half of the 44 MLAs we have. Some joined the BJP. We are with the Congress but look at our party. They don’t want to attack Mamata. They don’t want to take risks.”
It was this suggestions which pushed the Congress to lastly assault the TMC. At a press convention by Jaiveer Shergill, a soccer was used to point out that Mamata Banerjee had performed video games with folks of West Bengal.
The Congress State in-charge, Jitin Prasada, scotches the speak of Congress shying away from a struggle. He mentioned, “So many of us are here. How can you say we not campaigning?”.
In politics, one must be like a wooden pecker. Keep on pecking on the wooden until you make the area. The Congress has but to start pecking in earnest.
