The Congress party is on the verge of another collapse, tensions between Sonia and Rahul's group

New Delhi Dated 1st August 2020 Saturday

One hundred and thirty-five years old and a major contributor to the freedom struggle, the Congress party was reported to be on the verge of further collapse. This time the breakdown was due to tensions between the Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi factions. From the developments in the politics of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, observers have come to believe that tensions were running high between the leaders of the younger generation and Sonia Gandhi's loyalists.

Looking at the history of the Congress party, there are mentions that this has happened before. Speaking of post-independence, the first breakup was done by Indira Gandhi, daughter of Pandit Jawaharlal. In the late 1960's, the party split into two, the Sanstha Congress and the Indira Congress.

Nowadays, Sonia Gandhi and her loyal leaders are considered elders while Rahul Gandhi and his colleagues are considered leaders of the younger generation. After Indiraji's dissolution of the Congress in 1967, parties like the Congress, Janata Dal and Jana Sangh disbanded to form 87 major and minor parties, of which only 25 exist at present. The other 62 parties merged into the pit of time.

When Sonia Gandhi convened a meeting of Congress MPs in the Rajya Sabha three days ago, some of the elder leaders were spotted campaigning against Rahul Gandhi. A letter to Sonia Gandhi called for the election of a permanent party president and other office bearers.

Observers believe that it would not be a surprise if the Congress party once again splits in the wake of internal tensions. Even so, the elder leaders believe that the party's reputation is being tarnished due to some of Rahul's irresponsible statements.