The Congress party pledged support to the INDIA bloc at the AICC session held in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. However, questions remain over the alliance’s functionality following the Lok Sabha elections.
A political resolution passed at the session underlined the party’s central role in forming and sustaining the bloc, presenting it as a collective response to common public issues.
In a message to allies about the status of the bloc given its functional paralysis since the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress resolution said: “The Congress has worked in the spirit of constructive cooperation and collective efforts, not only with our time-tested political allies but created and sustained the architecture of ‘India Alliance’ on commonality of people’s issues. We stand committed to continuing this effort even in the future.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge underlined the importance of strengthening the INDIA alliance, pointing to its unified opposition to the Waqf Bill in Parliament. “So, we have to strengthen the INDIA bloc that we have forged… We have to remain united and move forward,” he was quoted as saying to a national newspaper.
The resolution also addressed the ongoing controversy involving the alleged discovery of cash at the residence of a High Court judge, walking a fine line between advocating for judicial accountability and preserving judicial independence. “While the Congress recognises that an independent judiciary is intrinsic to protection of Constitutional principles and democracy, it is also true that Judiciary must set safeguards and standards for accountability,” the resolution said. “A mechanism for Judicial accountability, without compromising Judicial independence, is the need of the hour.”
Rahul Gandhi, in his speech, maintained that the contest between the BJP and Congress was fundamentally ideological. He asserted that only a party with a clear ideological foundation—namely, the Congress—could effectively challenge the BJP and RSS. This view appeared to temper the broader emphasis on alliance politics reflected in the resolution. “Those parties which do not have an ideology and clarity cannot stand up to the BJP and RSS. Only that party which has an ideology can take on the BJP and RSS and defeat the BJP and RSS,” he said.
In another key addition, the final resolution explicitly reaffirmed the Congress’s commitment to secularism. Building on a quote from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the draft, the final version added that this commitment was rooted in India’s age-old traditions of pluralism and equal respect for all faiths.
The resolution also sought to distinguish the Congress’s vision of nationalism from what it called the BJP’s “pseudo nationalism”, offering an ideological counterpoint to growing demands within the party for clarity on its national narrative.
Internally, discussions on the resolution revealed divergent opinions on how to confront the Modi government. While a dominant section, including leaders like Kharge, Gandhi, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Imran Pratapgarhi, criticised the BJP for its alleged capture of institutions, attacks on minorities, and crony capitalism.
MP Shashi Tharoor, who seconded the resolution, urged the party to balance critique with positivity. Tharoor was quoted as saying: “We need to retain and restore the votes we won before but have failed to win in the last three elections. That is where the resolution leads us… in which we express constructive criticism and not mere unrelenting negativity.”
He also cautioned the Congress on overreliance on past glory. “We are all too conscious that the young voters who are the majority today do not apparently give much importance to history. They want to know what we will do for them,” Tharoor said.
“The Congress must be a party of hope and not of resentment, a party of positivity, not only of negativism, a party of the future, not just of the past, a party with a positive narrative, and not just criticism.”
Also Read: Only The Congress Can Defeat RSS-BJP: Rahul Gandhi https://www.vibesofindia.com/only-the-congress-can-defeat-rss-bjp-rahul-gandhi/
