THE stamp of profound cognitive impairment becomes glaring when the Congress leadership teams up to rake issues making no sense. There is an air of arrogance in the party’s baseless charges against a vibrant democratic system which the leadership still sees as its pawn. The haughtiness stems from the long rule the Grand Old Party enjoyed to twist and turn the system to further its dynastic policies. There is repeated denial of the truth and peddling lies seems the only strategy left for Congress to keep itself relevant in contemporary politics. It is a sure-shot recipe for self-destruction.

 

The hue and cry the Congress is making over the stunning defeat in Maharashtra Assembly polls is part of the same strategy to cause distraction. Without a shred of material evidence, the party leadership is hurling accusations at the Election Commission of India alleging tampering in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). There is an inane call to return to the ballot paper despite the standout success of the EVMs in every election. The system which has been hailed by top democracies for its efficacy and accuracy is being seen with tinted glasses by a party which finds no problem with the EVMs after its limited, but significant, electoral victories. It is a double standard of the worst kind by the Congress party which seems convinced by the tactic of playing the perennial Cry Baby of Indian Politics. The Congress’ fight is clearly with its own cadre which is still gathering guts to come out of its slavish mentality. Despite changing goal-posts, despite shunning of original ideology (if there was any!), despite repeated snub by the electorate, the Old Boys’ Club in the Congress looks extremely happy in reaping whatever benefits of staying with the Gandhi family.

 

In the process, the writing on the wall is being ignored as merely graffiti made by youngsters. And the only response to serious electoral setbacks in once-held fortresses is coming through shrill rhetoric. Peddling lies has clearly become an ingrained character for Congress. The manner in which it refused to accept results in the Haryana Assembly elections and now the nonsensical barbs against EVMs in Maharashtra Assembly elections shows that the party is bereft of new ideas and is happy to play disruptor of normal proceedings. It is an anathema to the electoral success the Congress achieved in general elections with a promise of becoming a responsible alternative at the Centre. In its attempt to mislead people and its own supporters, the Congress and other partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), have levelled allegations ranging from recording extra votes to hacking of EVMs. Each of this allegation has been refuted by the ECI with evidence but the Cry Baby’s compulsion to keep itself relevant in Maharashtra politics after the solid drubbing makes it deaf and blind to the truth. No discrepancies were found during the mandatory counting of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. The verification process was conducted across all 288 constituencies.

 

The slip-counting process involved selecting five polling stations from each Assembly constituency through a lottery system. Moreover, representatives of the contesting candidates were present during the entire process to ensure transparency. The process was carried out under stringent security measures, with dedicated rooms and the entire operation recorded on CCTV. Yet, the Congress is reluctant to accept its defeat. This is the consequence of a false sense of entitlement that drives the Congress thinking. So, whenever the truth offends, the leadership lies, and lies, and lies. Every lie the party tells incurs a debt to the truth. Racking up of this debt is set to prove ruinous in the future run for the Congress. Already, there are piling gripes over mismanagement by the Congress top brass among its I.N.D.I bloc partners.

 

The denouncing of Congress’ hoarse cry against the EVM by J&K CM Omar Abdullah and the open challenge by the Trinamool Congress to prove tampering allegations have opened up cracks within the Opposition. Even otherwise, the I.N.D.I.Alliance was a marriage of inconvenience among parties that bay for each other’s blood in regional elections. But the growing call to hand over leadership of the Front to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reflects the impatience among the partners with Congress and its selfish political tactics. In fact, the TMC chief has played her cards really well. She was the first one to ruffle the Gandhi family by proposing Mallikarjun Kharge as the PM face when the alliance was being cobbled up before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The proposal created severe consternation among the partners, especially sending a message to the Gandhis. Many saw it as an effort to create rift within the Congress which was trying to pitch for Rahul Gandhi as the PM face of the alliance. The move by Mamata was a well-calculated ploy to clip the wings of other aspirants.

 

The limited success to the Opposition alliance changed the dynamics of the plan but the reverses BJP faced in LS polls also provided a chance to Mamata to emerge as a credible rival to PM Narendra Modi. Her repeated electoral success in West Bengal in a direct fight with the BJP and the consistent decline of Congress in other States now has opened up a chance for TMC to take control of the Front even without Congress. In the changing context at the national level, how much the Congress strategy to employ crankiness over non-existent problems like EVM rigging will succeed is a point of intrigue for pundits as well as its own cadre. The voters have clearly made their choice in Maharashtra and Haryana. It is time to move on for the Cry Baby.n