Setback to comeback

 There is a sense of Déjà vu in the Nagaland state Congress after the homecoming of its former veteran members who had left the party sometime in 2016 following differences with the present leadership. The homecomers, after being forced out of the party, later formed the Nagaland Regional Congress. They were shown the door due to certain differences with the then AICC in-charge Narayanasamy and present chief minister of Puducherry and the present NPCC president K. Therie. The reunion as it may, will be tested when the party begins the challenging journey of reorganisation of the entire set up. It may be pointed out that the Congress used to dominate the political landscape even when it lost two elections-2003 and 2008. Its fortunes began to dip and it reached the nadir when it drew a blank in the 2018 elections. In the aftermath of the 2003 elections, the party emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats but was beaten to the post by the NPF which won 19 seats because it was able to cobble a majority with various political parties. The phrase, ‘many generals but no soldiers’ used to be the phrase to describe the Congress in Nagaland. The same generals have returned to the house (Bhavan) that looked empty. The old timers will certainly bring some semblance of occupancy to the house but that cannot be the main objective of any party wanting to be relevant. After having to relinquish power in 2003, the veterans and old timers in the party were in the political wilderness. The party nearly came back to power in 2008 by winning 23 seats but it again failed the test to breast the tape when the NPF with 26 seats was able to retain power. Now that the old timers have returned to the party fold, the question is whether they will make an difference in the party’s dream of regaining either lost ground or eventually coming back to power in the state? A unified Congress of old timers who have had to fight challenges from powerful rivals other than having to win the confidence of the people, will needless, have to begin the onerous task. The main challenge will be to reorganise and revitalise the party by injecting new blood- mostly youths. Can the Congress do that given the fact that it has lost so much ground and its leader(s) still not able to do just that and today suffers from lack of financial resources? Part of the problem with the Congress in Nagaland is that its party leaders seriously think that the people need the party and not vice versa. It may serve some objective to turn the heat against BJP due to the latter’s background of being extreme right wing Hindutva and by that description, also extending to being against religious minorities such as Christians. No doubt, part of that belief might stem from the expectations that the 2019 parliamentary elections are going to spell the end of the BJP-NDA and also gradual collapse of the BJP-NDPP in Nagaland. That expectation may not be realised and if so, will reconfirm that over reliance on the Gandhis and that too on a person who hasn’t made that desired impact against Modi, will be another daydreaming.