Sonia Gandhi is said to have responded well to the medical urgency, an inference made from her decision to come back despite knowing that it would be difficult to keep political work and visitors at bay for long. She would now see the chaos first hand, though she was kept abreast of dramatic developments on phone.
The scenario is not the same since August 2 when Sonia Gandhi flew out. Since then, Anna Hazare, then only an irritant, turned into a full blown crisis, putting Congress down in the political war of perceptions. The cash-for-vote scam has returned to centrestage, giving BJP another chance to buttress its corruption campaign against UPA, aided by CAG reports and multiple scams.
Congress, on the other hand, has shown little stomach for cohesion, speaking in multiple voices in her absence to turn challenges into chaos like the Ramlila Maidan agitation. The factionalism has worsened with MPs pointing fingers at key ministers to the extent of even seeing sabotage attempts in the handling of the crisis as the letter by Pravin Aron alleged. Exasperated leaders have even vented their frustration by saying they were missing the party chief.
According to insiders, the contrast of how Congress fortunes changed in five weeks is also an occasion for a mid-term reality check for the party which has floundered since returning a massive tally in May 2009. The advantage of 206 seats and a UPA less encumbered by allies has not translated into better governance. Instead, the reputation of 'Mr Clean' Manmohan Singh has stood tattered owing to scams and Congress hopes of revival in the Hindi heartland appear shattered.
The Hazare challenge itself has been a revelation. Congress hoped that jail to political biggies after 2G, CWG and Adarsh scams would settle the issue of corruption but the Gandhian's call for a Lokpal Bill became a rallying point against Congress. The targeting of key ministers, while also handiwork of partisans, is troubling for Congress, especially raising doubts about its bonhomie with the middle class. The opposition is hoping to ride the anger triggered by the Anna mobilization.
Even more alarming has been the absence of coordination in the party when Sonia Gandhi was away. Many MPs saw 'sabotage to scuttle Rahul's future' in the way the Hazare mobilisation was handled. Insiders saw in these allegations a veiled factional war to taint individuals, not a happy sign for the leadership which has been beset with one-upmanship among organizational czars for a while now.
The visible dip in the perception about Congress has raised an alarm over the party's challenge to NDA in key states where it is expected to win like in Uttarakhand and Punjab, and in Uttar Pradesh where it has hoped to return to consequence after two decades of marginalization.
The bigger worry is that the cumulative effect of the crises could cast a shadow on Rahul's coronation in 2014.
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