Coterie insulates Congress

It is certainly not the best of situations that the Congress finds itself in today. Rising defiance within its ranks threatens to spell disaster at a time when the party is striving to consolidate its position as the single largest opposition in Parliament. Several important second-rung and veteran leaders have either departed or been sidelined by the dominance of family loyalists. Those who had hoped for a turnaround after repeated setbacks have instead been confronted with decisions that only deepen the crisis. The latest flashpoint comes from Kerala, where veteran Rajiv loyalist Mani Shankar Aiyar openly endorsed Shashi Tharoor, Congress’s most recognizable face in the state and a favoured contender for chief minister should the party win the assembly elections. His support directly challenges Rahul Gandhi’s closest aide, K.C. Venugopal, who is himself vying for the chief minister’s chair. This contest between Tharoor’s popular appeal and Venugopal’s loyalty epitomizes the larger struggle within the party: charisma and competence versus dynastic control.The picture is equally troubling in Assam, where elections will be held in three phases from March 27 to April 6. Instead of presenting a united front against the BJP, Congress is grappling with internal implosion. Bhupen Borah, replaced by Gaurav Gogoi as APCC president, has aligned with BJP Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Sarma, once a Congressman himself, has seized the opportunity to attack his former party with communal rhetoric, describing Borah as the “last Hindu leader” in Congress and claiming the party now only represents Muslims. Such remarks, while incendiary, underscore Congress’s vulnerability to external attacks fueled by internal disarray. These fissures are symptomatic of a deeper malaise. Since the humiliating defeat of 2014, Congress under Rahul Gandhi-whether as president or chief campaigner—has struggled to find direction. While Rahul is often praised for his personal integrity, his political leadership has been marked by immaturity and insularity. Many young, experienced, and capable leaders have left the party, while senior figures such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma, and Shashi Tharoor have been marginalized. Others like P. Chidambaram, Salman Khurshid, Digvijaya Singh, Ambika Soni, and Sushil Kumar Shinde remain underutilized, their influence steadily eroded.Meanwhile, the power of Rahul’s inner circle-figures such as Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala, and Ajay Maken-has grown disproportionately. This coterie-driven politics has transformed Congress into an extension of one personality rather than a collective institution. The refusal to engage constructively with senior leaders has left the party rudderless, unable to harness its considerable talent or present a coherent alternative to the ruling BJP. The tragedy is not merely electoral but institutional. Congress, once the natural party of governance, now risks being seen as a hollowed-out organization on its last legs. Its present leadership appears obstinately unwilling to recognize that the path it has chosen is hurtling the party downhill. Unless it reconciles loyalty with competence, dynastic control with democratic renewal, and personality-driven politics with institutional maturity, Congress will continue to implode at precisely the moment when India’s opposition space demands coherence and strength.