New idiom for a new generation

By M H Ahssan

For Congress, the party has only just begun — all over again. This is the first time since Rajiv Gandhi reduced the voting age to 18 that Congress
is putting youth to work as a political concept.

Inside Congress, there is a new idiom now: youth. There is a new language: youthful. There are new buzzwords: internal democracy, management, equality, inclusive growth. And, because all these seem to have worked very well for the party, Congress appears to be on a roll. Alongside the internal democratization of youth outfits, there is the impending launch and spread of Aam Aadmi ke Sipahi (AAKS), literally army of, for and by the common man.

As elections in the National Students Union of India and the Youth Congress throw politics open to laypeople such as college students and professional GenNext politicians, common man’s protectors are meant to build a deep and abiding party connect with the people. These civil society soldiers are meant to do this not just through their services to the people but by popularising the UPA’s work in government. It’s a shrewd attempt to brand a whole generation with the Congress hand.

The new thinking appears to be the result of a close study of the political turf where Congress is positioned as a middle-of-the-road, pacifist party of secular hue. It also emerges from an analysis of how the BJP goes about its political business — it owes allegiance to the RSS with its own band of ‘catch ‘em young’ platforms.

Instead of the usual cut-and-paste ideas, Rahul Gandhi decided it was essential to create a young Congress team with an ideological face if rightwing rhetoric had to be blunted as a tool of mobilization. The need started to become especially urgent after the NSUI-YC’s silence during the Gujarat riots and Kandhamal carnage further eroded its standing among ordinary people.

The Congress mobilization aims to resurrect the interventionist spirit of a “secular camp” to provide a strong and active alternative platform to the saffron tune of “Hindutva nationalism”.

While Rahul chipped away at Hindutva strongman Narendra Modi despite blows barbs that would have crushed a weaker man, he was also consistent about reaching out to the marginalized in Mayawati’s dalit stronghold.

The new idiom is refreshingly frank. Instead of empty talk about social charity, there are no qualms about admitting that the political objective is strengthening the mother party. AAKS seeks to take Congress and its popularity to the panchayat level. If it works, the organization would become a propaganda tool of its government — the ideal situation for a ruling party. In this, one can see the attempt to turn the mass-based Congress into a quasi-cadre-based outfit.

It may be an idea worth its weight in gold. The fledgling attempt at democratizing NSUI and YC has thrown up enormous numbers of aspirational young politicians and eager young voters. As many as 800,000 young people became members of the Gujarat YC and lakhs joined the Punjab chapter (see accompanying story). Meanwhile, 35,000 university students attended the NSUI session at Uttarakhand. So far, the democratization plan has been implemented only in these three states.

Insiders say the attempt to mobilize youth should not be seen as a quick fix solution but a longer-term vision for a grand revival of Congress. In the process, Indian politics could get a lot younger and more idealistic.