Ninety-two years rest lightly on the firm shoulders of Balubhai Patel, arguably the only constant at the Gujarat Congress headquarters in Ahmedabad through the heyday up to now when the party is on the pacemaker. And also when the party is getting decimated with every election of any kind.
However, Patel is upbeat that the Congress leadership has decided to convene its all-important AICC Session in Ahmedabad in April. He attended the AICC session of 1961 in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. “Yes we may not have the same resources today, but the AICC session will be held with all hope, ” grins Patel. There are no cracks in the nonagenarian’s voice.
Balubhai Patel (Left) with Gujarat Congress Spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi
He says there is no reason why the AICC session won’t be a success. “We will get more support from Congress-ruled states and less support from non-Congress ruled states. The event may not be grand but it will be good,” he asserts.
Reminiscing about the Bhavnagar session, he says that a nagar (city) was built for the thousand plus delegates where Krishna Nagar currently stands. The sanitation facilities were very good and the Railways had set up a counter at the venue to facilitate ticketing.
Patel also recalls one of the AICC sessions in Bengaluru where Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru preferred to squat on the ground with the party leaders and workers in the absence of a covered enclosure during peak summer. He did not sit on the stage. “Do you give an umbrella to the others, Panditji had questioned his help and asked him to go away,” Patel remembers clearly.
Notwithstanding Patel’s enthusiasm, holding the All India Congress Committee session and Congress Working Committee meeting in Ahmedabad is a major challenge for the party. The events have been planned for April 8 and 9.
The announcement of the session and the CWC came just days after the Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in the elections to local self-government bodies in the state that has been ruled by the BJP for over three decades.
The confidence of the party’s cadre is at its lowest ebb and the party feels that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s presence in Ahmedabad for two days and the meetings that he is to hold will work as a morale booster of sorts.
LoP Rahul Gandhi meets Party Workers in Ahmedabad
The party has been receiving very little funding, especially after Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister in 2014.
Given the situation, organising the session in Gujarat after 64 years is no joke. In 1961, the AICC session was organised in Bhavnagar with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at the helm of affairs and before that the party had the famous session in Haripura in 1938
Bringing the session in Gujarat is a herculean task and logistics is to be a major challenge. The party has already faced a rejection. Party sources told Vibes of India that initially they planned to organise the session in Mahatma Mandir and the permission was also given. However, thereafter the party was told that the programme cannot be organised at the venue.
Party leader K C Venugopal visited Ahmedabad and explored the possibility of holding the AICC session either on Sabarmati Riverfront or Club O7. In all probability, the CWC session is likely to be held at the Sardar Patel Smarak in Shahibaug.
Senior Congress Leader K C Venugopal visited Ahmedabad Ahead of AICC Session
In 2017, the Congress had put up a good show and won 77 seats in the assembly elections. In 2022, however, the party ended up getting only 17 seats. Now, whether the party is trying to make a statement that it is not easily going to give up on Gujarat remains to be seen. Gandhi is expected to talk about the upcoming elections to the municipal corporations and the assembly election of 2027.
“All this is fine. But where is the cadre,” a senior party leader, requesting anonymity, says. He says that it is actually going to cost a lot when you are dealing with over 3,000 delegates.
Talking to Vibes of India, Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil admits that organising the event in Gujarat is to be a challenge and the party would overcome that. Replying to a question on what the party wants to prove by getting the session in Gujarat, Gohil says it is 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi was appointed Congress president and Gujarat is also the land of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Gujarat, he asserts, is the Congress’ priority.
Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil
It is perhaps just the beginning for the enthusiasm to build up. When the D-Day comes, a large number of party workers and leaders from Gujarat will also take part. The way party leaders and workers thronged party headquarters during Gandhi’s visit is just an indication of how the events are likely to unfold.
“Such sessions infuse life in the party’s rank and file,” Patel says.
Political scientist Dr Vidyut Joshi agrees that such programmes are organised to create an atmosphere in favour of political parties. Albeit he also says that as regards the Congress, the benefits of this session won’t be long lasting.
Dr Vidyut Joshi
And he has a reason to say this. He observes that the problem with the Congress is that for the last several years Congress’ Seva Dal was almost defunct. He claims that even now the Seva Dal isn’t functioning the way it used to function earlier. “It used to catch people young. That isn’t happening,” he says, pointing out that once upon a time Indian National Trade Union Congress was one of the top trade unions and its decline led to the rise of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, having right-wing ideology.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi to Visit Gujarat on March 7-8 for Key Congress Meetings
