Pynshngain Lyndem
Political parties have been important institutions of a democracy. Political parties promote the interests of their voters, allowing them to be decision-makers and the key players in shaping a democracy. As Schattschneider famously asserted more than half a century ago, ‘political parties created democracy and modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of the political parties.’
George Washington cautioned against parties as “factions” motivated by the “spirit of revenge” and by self-promotion at the expense of the public good. If we were to talk of Indian politics and our political history, it would be prudent to say that it all began in 1947– the year India gained its Independence.
Several key incidents took place that shaped Indian polity, ranging from Kashmir’s accession to India in October 1947, story of reservation which began with the ‘Mandal Commission’ started by Morarji Desai in 1979 which helped to get many politicians elected, and the infamous ‘demonetisation’ that happened in November 2016 which made critics conclude that this was a way for the BJP to win the seat in UP which was considered being important for them as a political party.
However, Indian politics has seen a large amount of turmoil – from multiple issues affecting the political outcome to governments toppling because of inflation and price hikes, national emergencies to popular political leaders like Rajiv Gandhi getting assassinated.
The oldest political party to exist in India is the Congress, hence, known as the ‘Grand Old Party’ when it took off in 1971 after Indira Gandhi broke free from the shackles of leaders known to her father, forming the Indian National Congress (INC). INC continued growing after her death with Rajiv Gandhi taking over until his assassination in 1991. Sonia Gandhi took the reins over in 1997, which then came back to power in 2004 before taking over an electoral bow in 2014. In between the following years, the Congress did not always see bright times as the working of the Congress government and party gave birth to additional problems which hastened its downslide further pushing them to hit rough weather.
The high command syndrome, which decided party matters earlier at national and state matters, had no connection with party functionaries at ground zero. The 2014 general elections dealt the Congress an electoral punch that knocked the wind out of its sails. It brought with itself a leader in Narendra Modi that resulted in a tectonic shift of political equilibrium in Delhi rolling out a new political discourse promising to usher in a new India free from the Congress.
The Congress in Meghalaya has also played a dominant role in politics, ruling the state for almost 15 years. Although there were many reforms that were brought in, most of which were kept on hold for reasons we all know better. For a party that had been in power for years, it was obvious for people to have high hopes from it, especially for the benefit of the tribal people and the state as leaders were tribals who understood what the state and its people need.
What came as a shocker for the party in Meghalaya was the exit of ex-CM, Dr Mukul Sangma who abandoned ship and took along with him 12 other MLAs to join the All-India Trinamool Congress. If all this was not enough, the trend is still continuing with several other members of the party jumping ship and entering other political parties in the state.
Another blow that shocked everyone in Meghalaya was the sudden decision of the Congress to support the NPP-led MDA government, something claimed by the five Congress leaders as working for the betterment of the people and their constituencies. The dilemma of the Congress does not seem to end, and one can only continue to wonder if this is the end of the party and its existence in Meghalaya. It will also be interesting to see how the party is now going to work and reorganise itself before the next election, which is a year away: If the current leadership could work its magic in bringing the party back to power or if the Grand Old Party, which was once known to be a major player in politics, would lose its charm till it is unfortunately incapacitated.