It is manifestly clear from the steady and almost irreversible decline of the party under the leadership of “Gandhis.” The latest example here is the performance of Congress declared in the latest election results that were held in five states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.

“Gandhis” are bad for Congress Politically

The “Gandhis” are a gift that keeps on giving to the BJP and Modi. One or the other way, they allow this government to shift the discourse to the past and so on. So long as the congress declines, it's a benefit for the BJP, which for me, someone who believes in Democracy and Pluralism and institutional robustness is a threat because the BJP is leading the country down to the path of disaster and we are in need of a vibrant opposition.

It's manifestly evident that the “Gandhis” do not know how to revive the Congress party and so long as they are incharge of the party, it’s completely in the interest of the BJP and Modi. In fact cynics might even say that there is some kind of match fixing that is going on.

If at all the “Gandhis” believe in the good of the party and nation at large, they must not just exit from the party’s leadership but retire from politics altogether. Why because, their very presence in the Congress makes it easy for Narendra Modi and BJP to deflect attention from the Government’s failures in the present by resorting to debates about the past. 

When several independent think tanks discuss the draconian misuse of legislation such as UAPA, the restriction of the press, the intimidation of independent journalists, and the harassment of NGOs, Modi would respond, "What about Indra Gandhi in the emergency?" If Rahul Gandhi mentions Rafael, he will be probed about his father's role in the Bofors case.

If issues about a continuous Chinese incursion on our territory are raised by respectable defense specialists, and as long as the Congress is around to voice those questions, Modi will answer, "Remember Nehru in 1962." 

Nehru, Indira and Rajiv left behind legacies that are mixed; partly positive, partly negative but so long as the direct descendant of those three Prime Ministers is heading the Congress party, it’s only the negative aspects that will be highlighted, focused upon and repeatedly reiterated by the party in power to deflect attention from their mismanagement of the Economy, Security and position in the Press. All of these would stop if someone called Gupta or a Sharma would be incharge of the Congress party. 

Lack of political intelligence

The "Gandhis" are clearly incapable of delivering focused, credible, and effective leadership to their state units, as evidenced by the recent Assembly results.

There was widespread dissatisfaction with the ruling BJP in Uttrakhand and Goa. However, under their leadership, the "Gandhis" were unable to transform this dissatisfaction into electoral success.

The other reason is that general elections are increasingly presidential. And, because the Congress still has a sizable presence in many parts of India, Rahul Gandhi becomes the default prime ministerial candidate after the Congress is established as the most powerful opposition party. Of course, Narendra Modi would benefit greatly from this.

Many political analysts say that it would be better for the Congress to "die" entirely, not only for the Gandhis to leave politics, but for the Congress to go extinct. That, however, is not going to happen.

As a result, the only practical choice for Congress is for new leadership to emerge. Actually, that can only happen if the "Gandhis" leave freely, because they control the party, the funds, the organisation, and the doctrine, as we all know. It's difficult to imagine a palace takeover. It's difficult to envision a genuine revolt against the "Gandhis", just as it's difficult to envision a Paris coup against Vladimir Putin, no matter how desirable that would be.

Why the Gandhis must Go?

Take a peek at the most recent assembly polls. Some commentators have correctly determined that if you look at individuals, Modi, Adiyanath, and Kejriwal will be the three major winners in these five assembly elections, in any order.

What do the three very diverse personalities, types of characters, and governance philosophies – or, should I say, misgovernance philosophies – have in common? 

They're all completely self-made. Nobody had a political ancestor. That is why they are popular. Because young voters believe that "Ye Hamare Liye Hain [These are for us]," the growth of the self-made person is prevalent in many sectors of the Indian economy and society. It's true in movies, sports, music, entrepreneurship, and politics.

Aside from the three individual winners in recent polls, consider the extraordinary electoral achievement of someone like Mamta Banerjee, who is likewise entirely self-made. Naveen Patnaik, though he may be Viju Patnaik’s son, was never promoted by his father. Actually, he abandoned, as you know, a successful career as a designer in Delhi to go and serve the people of Odisha. Actually, he has no family, no children, no wife. So I think this is, in any case, Indians today, as they are less feudalistic, are more inclined to trust, follow and admire self-made politicians.

The Gandhis, on the other hand, upset people even more when they constantly point to Indians, continuously emphasising Indira, Rajiv, and Nehru's sacrifices, and so on. When they brag about their image, their entitlement, feeling of luxury, and arrogance become even more obvious.

Final Thoughts 

The first thing that comes to my mind is “A steady Decline.” There might be other alternatives that might come up, but if we consider the stats, starting from Tamil Nadu in 1967, they have vanished from states where they were previously prominent or a serious challenger, including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. They haven't been in power in Gujarat for nearly 30 years. They can't even reclaim power in Uttarakhand and Goa. Then it's possible that Himachal will be the next state, and Gujarat's decline will continue. This will continue to be the case, and so on. Congress is doomed as long as the Gandhis are in charge, which is obvious and should be obvious to everyone, whether they are members of the Congress party or not.