DNA Special: Rahul Gandhi's absence on Congress Foundation Day shows how serious he is about his party

On December 28, the Congress party observed its 136^th foundation day. It was in 1885 that AO Hume founded the Congress party. However, what is startling is that one of Congress’ most important leaders and Wayand MP Rahul Gandhi was conspicuous by his absence during the foundation day ceremony of his own party. Reportedly, he and his mother Sonia Gandhi left for Milan in Italy that is his maternal grandmother’s place, on Sunday.

Though the Congress did not disclose Gandhi’s destination, the chief spokesperson of the party, Randeep Surjewala, confirmed that he will be away for a few days as he is on a “short personal visit”.

There is nothing wrong with going on a holiday, but the timing shows how serious Rahul Gandhi is about national issues and the party at large. Till about three days ago, he was making statements in favour of the agitating farmers against the Centre, and today he is out on a holiday.

We always doubted his intentions while supporting the farmers’ movement. But today it has once again been proven that he is only a “part-time politician with a full-time hobby”.

Rahul Gandhi had also met President Ram Nath Kovind on the issue of farmers a few days back and soon thereafter he had gone to Goa to celebrate the holidays. 

Party spokespersons vehemently defended Rahul Gandhi’s absence on the party’s foundation day. But the question arises as to the discontent and disappointment among party workers and leaders when a Rahul Gandhi does so?

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said: “Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business.”

Rahul Gandhi is known for his party and today on the day of the party’s foundation day, he is holidaying abroad leaving his party and the protesting farmers in limbo. Rahul Gandhi also has never really stuck to his words.

Today, the Congress is opposing the new agricultural laws saying that it will not give the farmers the right price for their crops. But in 2015, when Rahul Gandhi was an MP from Amethi, he had then made a statement in the Lok Sabha saying that due to middlemen, farmers are not able to get the right price for their crop. This is simply an u-turn on his previous stance.

This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has gone on such a sudden holiday on a crucial occasion. In February this year, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh was in crisis, Even then Rahul Gandhi was abroad. During the Bihar elections this year, he went to Shimla to celebrate the holidays. During campaigning in Haryana and Maharashtra in 2019, Rahul Gandhi wasn’t present on most occasions.

According to the information given in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi travelled abroad 247 times from 2015 to November 2019. Rahul Gandhi made an average of 62 trips abroad every year and about 5 times every month.

Now, to understand the relevance of the Congress, you should know about the history of the Congress.

The Congress was founded by a British man named AO Hume, who came to India from Scotland as an officer of the Indian Civil Service in 1849. When the revolution of 1857 took place, and what we call the First War of Independence, Hume was an administrative officer in Uttar Pradesh.

A O Hume founded the Congress party in India in the year 1885. The first conference was held in the then Bombay province and that too with the permission of the then Viceroy, which was the largest post in British India at that time. The first conference of the Congress had 72 people, including some British officials with A O Hume, many rich and influential people of India, the King-Maharaja. The names of Dada Bhai Nauroji, Justice Ranade, Feroz Shah Mehta and Bad-Reuddin Tyabji are prominent. It was a small Elite Group in a way, and there was no representation of the general public of India.

AO Hume had united Indians to set up congress. None of them were laymen, most of them were educated either in the UK, or had lived in Britain. For example, one of the founders of the Congress, Vyomesh Chandra Banerjee, was very confident of the British justice system, a fact that most of the early ones who founded the Congress were lawyers by profession. So the Congress was also called the “Party of Lawyers” at that time.

However, at the time of the establishment of the Congress, it was stated that Indians have to be given maximum rights in the British Raj. But some historians also believe that the real purpose of forming a Congress was to cool the fire of the rebellion that started from the year 1857. There is no other rebellion. The British government was also largely successful it was not threatened by the Congress but the by the revolutionaries.

In the year 1939, Subhas Chandra Bose separated from the Congress and established the All India Forward Block.

In 1959, the first Governor of Independent India, C Raj Gopala Chari, was displeased with Jawaharlal Nehru's policies. He separated from the Congress and formed a new party.

In 1969, K Kamaraj and Morar Ji Desai formed the Congress (O). K Kamaraj is said to have been a kingmaker as he played a pivotal role in making Lal Bahadur Shastri the PM after Nehru and thereafter Indira Gandhi.

In the year 1978, Indira Gandhi established today's Indian National Congress. In the year 1986, Pranab Mukherjee also separated from the Congress and formed a separate party called the National Socialist Congress. However, he later also merged his party into the Indian National Congress.

In 1996, Madhav Rao Scindia also separated from the Congress and formed a new party, which was called the Madhya Pradesh Development Congress. But later Madhav Rao Scindia was also back in the Congress’ fold.

In the year 1999, Sharad Pawar also separated from Congress and founded the Nationalist Congress Party.

In the year 2011, YS Jaganmohan Reddy also separated from the Congress and now his new party is named YSR Congress party which currently in power in Andhra Pradesh.

Surprisingly, on the occasion of foundation day today, Congress leader AK Antony hoisted the flag of the Congress headquarters, but Antony had also separated from the Congress in 1980. However, he later returned to the Congress.

From the times of Motilal Nehru and Jawaharlal Nehru to the times of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Congress has broken down on several occasions and the Congress that you are seeing today is the result of disappointment and discontent within the Congress.