Rasheed Kidwai
wrote a book on the history of the Congress or rather the history of 24 Akbar
Road, the headquarters post 1978 split. The book came out in 2011 with an
updated e-book in 2013. The book was titled 24
Akbar Road: A Short History of the People behind the fall and rise of the Congress.
The book is supposed to be tracing the roots of how Congress came to be
associated with 24 Akbar Road and the anecdotes that give a flavour of the
happenings at the party headquarters including the power struggles not just at
the mid level in jockeying for favour of the family but between the family and
its rivals. Given the updated e-eversion came out in 2013 when the party was
under siege and waiting to be killed halal in the hustings a due a year hence,
it seemingly was an attempt to shore up the image of the party and its crown
prince. Therefore, it can be safely believed the new chapter on the Crown
Prince was added to demonstrate his suave intellectual image something he has
struggling to demonstrate even today some seven years since the book was
published. If anything, the image has taken a turn for the worse.
The book without
doubt, deals well with the initial struggles the Congress (I) put up as it
struggled to build a new party. Indira Gandhi was expelled from the Congress
forcing her to set up a new party or her faction of the Congress which
ultimately came out on the top over her detractors. There are anecdotes on how
the Congress zeroed in on 24 Akbar Road, which had be allotted to the party MP
G Venkataswamy. Its links with 10 Janpath, then the Youth Congress headquarters
made it ideal for the location. Further, the book does with the struggles Buta
Singh endured as he sought to set some functioning in the party. The party was
short of funds and food to feed its volunteers and workers. Ghulam Nabli Azad struggling
to get two square meals a day as he and his colleagues sought to keep afloat
the Youth Congress in those tough days of the hostile Janata rule bring out the
hidden facets in party building and organization. There are also references to intra-factional
rivalries though in passing that are perhaps the spice of any organization.
Yet, going
beyond this, the book more reads of an eulogy to the Congress rather than
critical examination. Indira years 1980-84 would be incomplete without
understanding the inner party discussions and debates on Punjab or Assam that
were on the boil. The events leading to Operation Bluestar do not find mention
beyond in passing. The events leading to dismissal of Farooq Abdullah or NTR in
1984 do not even find a mention though they should have given a strong insight
into the thinking of Rajiv Gandhi. In fact, most of the discussion on Rajiv
revolves around the technocracy he sought to promote and his speech at the Congress
Centenary at Bombay December 1985. In fact his role in anti-Sikh riots is
completely glossed over barring attributing it to the inexperience.
Besides, the
Rajiv’s mind and the party’s mind might have triggered differences something
that resulted in VP Singh, Arun Nehru, Arun Singh among others leaving the
party. This is not discussed. Rajiv’s actions and thought process during the 18
months in opposition including the toppling of Chandrashekhar government are
not adequately addressed. Similarly, the intra-party factional fighting that in
the PVNR years including parting of Arjun Singh, ND Tiwari among others is left
undiscussed. In fact, most of the treatment of the party history emerges post
Sonia-takeover. In fact, there is considerable emphasis on how Sonia addressed
her first rally in 1998 and how Priyanka won the hearts through her
intervention in Tamil. In fact, Priyanka is brought in again and again throughout
the book. Priyanka declining to join politics allegedly preferring family is
sought to be compared to Indira Gandhi’s alleged decision in the 1940s and the
1950s. Incidentally, Indira Gandhi is sought to be projected as someone
struggling to balance family demands with demands of being hostess to her PM
father. Her relations with husband
Feroze are completely ignored though it is well known they were living in
separation. Priyanka is again sought for her comparison in looks with her
grandmother and how she helped her mother in her political fight. Considerable
time is devoted to Sonia’s courtship and marriage and post marriage adjustment
in the Nehru-Gandhi family. There is considerable effort being made to project
Sonia as ultimate daughter in law, wife, mother besides her role in the party. The
author goes at great length to project Sonia’s Indianness and adoption of
Indian values.
Rather than
demystify Sonia’s decision to not accept Prime Ministership in 2004 and instead
nominate Dr. Manmohan Singh, he chooses to go with the ‘official’ version. He talks
about Sonia’s inner voice was the reason for her decision. It was Sonia who
felt even if smallest of the percentage were against her owing to her foreign
origins, she should not accept the position. Sonia’s extra-constitutional rule
through National Advisory Council (NAC) is not touched upon. Further, perhaps
as PR building, considerable time is devoted to discussing Rahul’s strengths.
It is pointed out how Rahul began helping his mother in 1998 leaving his plush
job in London. It is attributed to Rahul the Congress’s campaign line in 2004
which saw them beat the BJP led NDA. In fact, lot of discussion is devoted to
team Rahul and how it managed the 2009 elections. It is also stressed how
oldtimers were not even allowed to enter the war room. Lot of praise is
reserved for the war room and Sonia and her children for facilitating the same
and its role in the success.
In fact, the
whole book as mentioned in the opening paragraph is hardly about history. It is
about a public relations that Congress sought to build for its crown prince as
it approached the 2014 elections. To borrow from economics, rational people
think at the margin and this book hardly contributes to the margin. In fact,
the book to anyone rational economist, would appear to have zero contribution to
the margin of political votes. However, all said and done, it does add up to
the numerous books mostly eulogies that critical about the Grand Old Party of
India.
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