Commentary/ Rajiv Shukla

Who is the loyal-est of them all?

Ever wondered which is the most loyal party around? I am sure you won't believe me if I told you -- that's right, it is the Congress!

Strange, but quite true. The Congress is the loyal-est of all parties. My conclusion about Congressmen's loyalty is based on the single most important factor: Dissidence.

Unlike the others, Sitaram Kesri's party doesn't have any place whatsoever for this most noble political sentiment. Don't ask me why -- though I have covered politics for long, it is completely beyond me to understand how a politician's mind works the way it does. So, I am unable to understand why Congressmen do not accept any dissident leaders, even if his banner of revolt is for principles and values.

In other parties, dissidents have become chief ministers and, even, prime ministers. Chaudhary Charan Singh became PM after throwing out Morarji Desai. H D Deve Gowda was ousted with Laloo Prasad Yadav's help. Shankarsinh Vaghela, with help from BJP MLAs, became chief minister after he pulled down the Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta governments. In the Janata Dal, in fact, the dissidents are more powerful than the high command -- look at Laloo Yadav and the late Biju Patnaik!

But in the Congress, no dissident has ever become -- forget PM -- even the chief minister. The minute a dissident becomes a dissident, Congressmen rally around their 'real' leader. V P Singh, if you remember, tried garnering support, but could only manage seven MPs out of 410. Finally, he had to join the Opposition to become prime minister.

As long as Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress, people said the loyalty was because of the Nehru charisma. But that's not true -- Congressmen, despite everything, stood by P V Narasimha Rao and Kesri, too. So much so that those who left the party had to eat humble pie and come crawling back. Remember Narain Dutt Tiwari and Arjun Singh?

Besides these two, leaders like Shiela Dixit, K N Singh and M L Fotedar are still waiting in the wings. Though they left the party because of Narasimha Rao, and, today, Kesri is Rao's arch enemy, even he has not been able to rehabilitate them suitably. Party workers have still not forgiven leaders like V P Singh, Arun Nehru, Arif Mohammad Khan and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Mufti has joined back, but his status in the organisation is the same as Tiwari and Arjun Singh -- almost nonexistent. And V P and Arun Nehru are supposed to be topping the party workers's most-hated list.

Now, what about the modern dissidents, the ones of Kesri's regime? Poor Sharad Pawar, poor Rajesh Pilot! They may be right in their political perception and the issues they raised -- but the rank and file do not accept them. Today, they are feeling completely alienated. Pawar is not stepping out of Maharashtra because he feels party workers will not show any enthusiasm in organising his tours.

I think it is Indira Gandhi who is responsible for this sense of loyalty among Congressmen. After the two vertical splits of the party, she recaptured power and established her authority powerfully. She proved that the Congress was her and vice-versa. The feeling is still in the minds of the millions -- that the party president is god, never to desert him. Rao and Kesri -- clever chaps! -- have made full use of it.

Tell us what you think of this column