Rajdeep Sardesai on CNN-IBN:
“Karnataka is only the latest example of the time warp the Congress is trapped in: a campaign remote controlled from Delhi was doomed for failure in the distant Deccan….
“S.M. Krishna‘s predicament reflects the growing isolation of regional chieftains in a political party apparatus where there is a Supreme Leader and the First Family while the others are all expected to play the role of faithful lieutenants….
“The Congress’s Karnataka in charge, Prithviraj Chauhan, was constantly undermined by a party structure in which alleged proximity to Sonia Gandhi of a handful of drawing room politicians becomes an instrument of undiluted power and petty ambition.
“How does one explain, for example, the attitude of a Margaret Alva, who appeared to lose interest in the Karnataka elections once her son was denied a ticket? Or the clout of a former state chief minister like Veerappa Moily, who would struggle to win a municipal election in his home district of Udipi?”
Also read: Congress, the ageing family firm
This is like a discussion on why India did badly at the World Cup (ODI… not T20).. It can go on and on… with no result…or with any point as it is a thing of the past…just to fill the time in the TV slot…
The main point though is how much Rajdeep is fond of the Congress… Nothing wrong with it … just don’t waste other people’s time!!!
We dont need CNN IBN to inform us of the fate of the Moily’s and Alva’s.We had the good fortune of going through their opinion polls and exit polls.
Garbage reporting.
agreed Moily has no followers all over the state but he never lost his constituency as long as he contested and ensured the victory of his man this time as well. So it is uncharitable to say he cannot win municipal elections in his district
My life has been badly afftected by the Congress. I am happy to see indications the party is going away, or, at least will not rule us for a while.
Kharge says he will not try to destabilise the new government. Translation: He will.
Krishna says if he had been “allowed” to run, the outcome would have been different. We are supposed to feel sorry for him? He did not resign the governorship of Maharashtra when he had to read from a script created by the Marathis that said his government would not rest until wresting Belagavi from Karnataka. Now he is surprised and pained that he was not “allowed” to reenter Karnataka through Belagavi. ( By the way officially it is still Belgaum). This spineless man was the best chief minister in the country. I am glad to see characters like Somanna are now questioning what their “High Command” does.
Rajdeep has hit the nail right on the head when he says that the Congress Party High Command has mismanged hte entire Karnataka elections.
It is a fact that Congress leaders like the Union Minister for Labour Oscar Fernandes and Veerappa Moily, both of whom are from Udipi district, no longer have any hold on the district. But both of them are superstars in the AICC setup in New Delhi. The most unfortunate part is that neither Moily nor Oscar Fernandes can ever win elections in the newly formed Udipi-Chikamangalore parliamentary seat. They simply have no touch of the grassroots in Udipi district.
The entire Udipi-chikamangalore belt has become so communalised that the Congress will not be able to make any recovery in the near future. The people of the coastal and malnadu districts have become too religious because they are more prosperous. Prosperity or becoming rich only comes these days only through foul means (The system is such that even if u want to be honest, it does not allow you to be). To cleanse the guilt of becoming rich through foul means, the people of this belt are taking recourse to religion in droves. Just take a look at the number of temples which are being renovated in this area. Of course, mosques and churches are also being renovated. There is simply an all-round increase in religiosity, but more so on the saffron side. I do not have to mention about the troubled religious spot in chikamangalore.
But another interesting fact is that in Udipi district, the BJP too is represented by V.S. Acharya, who too is no grassroots leader, but is good at manipulations like Oscar or Moily. Hence both the Congress and BJP has leaders without roots. Be it Moily or Oscar or Acharya, they manage to stay afloat only due to their ability at political manipulations.
Even Acharya will not be able to win from any of the five Assembly constituencies in Udipi district. Hence it is a misfortune that both the Cnogress and the BJP should depend on rootless, who are good at political intrigues and ejnjoy the blessings of the High Commands of the respectve parties. Look at the positions they hold despite being zeros in their home ground. Moilly is AICC spokesperson. Oscar is Minister. Acharya is Minister in Karnataka. This only shows the big gap between being actually being chosen by the people and being chosen by the High Command. One can safely say Blessed is the High Command, for it shall choose rootless leaders both in the BJP and the Congress, to the great misfortune of people. Leaders who do back-door entry as these three have done are least bothered about the people and are only bothered about keeping their positions warm.