By Aariz Imam

INC’s very own rebel group the feudal lords who have now banded together as G-23, are frustrated at their fading political relevance and stare at an imminent threat of a rather premature retirement owing to their age.

The group comprises leaders who have occupied in their long and shining career all key constitutional posts that were entrusted to Congress through people’s mandate from time to time. From being multiple term Chief Ministers to multiple term key cabinet ministers and legislators, the members of the group have forever lived their life soaked in power.

However, very less is talked about their political weight and commitment to the party’s organizational growth. One may still understand if questions were never asked about their mass connect when things were going good, but it is astonishing to see them easily bypassing any scrutiny even when the Congress is going through its worst phase.

The bizarre turn of events of the past two years since when this rebel group has started pressing for internal reforms, makes for two very important questions. Firstly is the aggressive posture of the G-23 where it has been calling for a leadership change a preemptive strike planned to shrug of any possible blame from their shoulders.

And secondly, why has no question been raised on their integrity and commitment. Is their nobody in Congress capable enough to see where the rot lies.

In the wake of the recent developments where some of the G-23 members have either joined or are flirting with the BJP or have justified the switch to the other end of the ideological extreme of their former colleagues, it has become increasingly apparent that it is Gandhi’s alone who have held together the Congress all this time.
If not for them, the feudal patriarchs would have lost no time to assimilate all of BJP’s divisive attributes so much so that it would have become increasingly difficult for the right wing party to sell its key proposition.

For that matter if the reins of Congress would have been with them no AAP would have the differentiator to woo the electorate with a development plank floated on hard nationalism and soft Hindutva.

By making India a Hindu welfare economy subsidized by crony capitalism, Congress under G-23 would assume invincibility satisfying the quench of the critical electorate sufficient enough to retain power in perpetuity.