Unlike standard detective novels, Gabriel Garcia Marquezs Chronicle of a Death Foretold is not a whodunnit. It does not investigate the murder Santiago Nasar by the Vicario twins, which is made clear from the first sentence. Instead, the mystery revolves around why the whole town allowed the murder to take place, making only half-hearted attempts to stop it.
Likewise is the death foretold of Indias Grand Old Party, the Indian National Congress. Though many liberal-minded Indians want the Congress to survive, the partys own leadership is making only half-hearted attempts, at best, to stop its imminent death.
As writer Ramachandra Guha pointed out in his essay The Long Life and Lingering Death of the Indian National Congress, the party is unique in the Indian political constellation:
The Congress is a party that led the movement for freedom, the party that united India and brought people of different religions and languages into a single political project. Its finest leaders were not confined by national boundaries; they had universal vision. And they were men and women of high personal integrity.
Guha notes that the Congress today would shock anyone with a sense of history, given the chasm between the partys past and present. The Congress of today is a Brobdingnag the fictitious land of giants invaded by Lilliputians.
The Congress leadership has failed to learn from history and is repeating mistakes of the past.
The partys reigning dynasty resembles the later Mughals, a shadow of their forebears. Congress nobles are busy building their fiefdoms while the Sangh Parivaar, like the East India Company in the 1700s, is expanding its clout by leaps and bounds. Many are hand in glove with the Company Bahadur, a continuation of the vestiges of Mughal rule but under British control, waiting for the right time to switch allegiance.
In the early 1900s, the British wondered if the moderate Congress would be a sitting duck for its guns. The Congress is tottering to its fall, and one of my greatest ambitions while in India is to assist it to a peaceful demise, declared the viceroy, Lord Curzon.
The political opponents of the Congress today have similar Curzonian dreams of a Congress-free India and await its peaceful demise.
In-fighting and factionalism is a part of the Congress DNA. Its most heated intra-party elections resulted in internal strife and sometimes led to splits in the Congress.
In 1905-07, for instance, two groups in the party the Moderates and the Extremists were engaged in a war to gain control of the Congress. In 1907, the Extremists led by Aurobindo Ghose, felt that that time had come to part company with the Moderates and push them out of the leadership.
If the Moderates could not be deposed, they wanted to split the organisation. The Moderates were led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale while the Extremists by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
At the partys Surat session in 1907, the Extremists objected to the election of Rash Behari Ghose as Congress president. It ended in a tussle between the two groups and the party split. Viceroy Lord Minto wrote to the Secretary of State for India Lord Morley that the Congress collapse at Surat was a great triumph for the British.
In the early 1920s, the Congress was again split between the Changers and No-Changers. The Changers, led by CR Das and Motilal Nehru, formed the Swaraj Party in 1923 to overcome the slump in the freedom struggle after the Non-Cooperation Movement was halted by MK Gandhi in 1922 following the Chauri Chaura incident, when police fired on protesters killing three. Enraged, the protesters set fire to a police station, resulting in the death of 23 personnel.
The Swaraj Party members and the No-Changers were engaged in a fierce political struggle, but were determined to avoid the disastrous experience of the 1907 Surat split. On the advice of Mohandas Gandhi, the two groups decided to remain in the Congress but to work separately.
Then, in 1939, the Congress witnessed one of its most heated presidential contests. Gandhi had chosen Pattabhi Sitaramaiah as his candidate, but incumbent president Subhash Chandra Bose wanted to contest again. Gandhi was opposed to this. Bose, who went on to become a leader of the Indian National Army, had always held radical views.
When the votes were counted, Gandhis candidate Pattabhi Sitaramaiah had garnered 1,375 votes to Boses 1,580. In 1939, however, Bose resigned as Congress president and founded the Forward Bloc.
The splits and in-fighting in the Congress weakened the party, but often helped it stay in sync with the zeitgeist.
In the current party election, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor holds charisma and appeal, like Bose. He is up against Mallikarjun Kharge, who seems to have the backing of the Gandhi family. Tharoor may not win the race, but he may perhaps capture the mood for change. He should create a sphere of influence of his own, either within the party, like CR Dass Swaraj Party, or outside like Boses Forward Bloc. Without such a positive outcome, the partys election would be an exercise in futility.
It is said that when Napoleon Bonaparte was fighting with a Roman Catholic cardinal, the French military leader said: Your eminence, are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church? The cardinal is said to have replied: Your majesty, we, the Catholic clergy, have done our best to destroy the church for the last 1,800 years. We have not succeeded, and neither will you.
The cardinals of the Congress, too, have been doing their best to bring down their party. But the Congress is a microcosm of India and the Indian laity does not want the Grand Old Party to succumb to its death foretold. Because, as Guha concluded, future historians shall record that while it lived and before it died, the Indian National Congress helped make India a less divided, less violent, less hierarchical, less patriarchal, less intolerant and less unequal unfree society than it might have otherwise been.
Faisal CK is an independent researcher.
Also read:
Why the messiness of the Congress election offers a glimmer of hope for Indian democracy
From pappu to popular: Can the Bharat Jodo Yatra remake Rahul Gandhis image?
Protesting shrinking freedoms, walking for hope: What I saw on the Bharat Jodo Yatra
More:
Can the Congress rewrite its chronicle of a death foretold? - Scroll.in
- NBC Has a Huge Opportunity with Law & Order: SVU's 25th Season - CBR - Comic Book Resources - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Seeding a gay community in LA, the gay liberation revolution - Los Angeles Blade - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Britney Spears's 'Baby One More Time' music video debuted on ... - Yahoo Entertainment - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- 13 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Britpop Bands - Hello Music Theory - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The top advertising campaigns of 2023 according to Australian ... - AdNews - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The 25 Best New Movies Streaming in November 2023 - TheWrap - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Jets' Aaron Rodgers 'attacking' rehab, eyes return this season - WABC-TV - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- ESG counteroffensive is missing big guns - POLITICO - POLITICO - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The increasingly radical climate movement, explained - Vox.com - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Imani Winds inspires with recital celebrating composers of color at ... - EarRelevant - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Super Models Tells the Story of the Original Fashion Influencers - AnOther Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- What constitutes a master? Don't ask Jann Wenner The Daily ... - Daily Free Press - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Conviviality of Ivan Illich (Part I) | by O.G. Rose | Oct, 2023 ... - Medium - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- SickKids unveils more future-focused VS campaign to match new ... - The Message - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Top 6 Iconic Classic Rock Bands of the '60s - American Songwriter - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Brent Harold: The renaissance of union logic - Arizona Daily Star - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- German bishops conclude tense gathering with all eyes on Synod ... - Catholic World Report - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Slasher Saturdays: The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Vs. The Hills Have ... - Horror Obsessive - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Listen to Scott Drebit Discuss His New Book A CUT BELOW: A ... - Daily Dead - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Whitney Houston Hairstyles: Tribute to Her Unparalleled Elegance - PINKVILLA - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Frosted Lipstick, Chunky Highlights & Thick Eyeliner: Every Beauty ... - New Zealand Herald - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- From Alphas To Betas: Science Says There Are Three Types Of ... - Evie Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Russell Brand is a product of the horrifically misogynistic noughties - Prospect Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Enduring Magic of Lorde's Pure Heroine and HAIM's Days Are ... - Paste Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Climate activists: How far is too far in raising the climate alarm? - Daily Maverick - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Pride Anthems at WHBPAC June 2nd at 8PM - Hamptons.com - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The illuminating influence of Eric Huntley - Peoples Dispatch - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Want Sofia Richie Style? Try These Cheap Nordstrom Finds - Who What Wear - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- What will Saudi-Iran rapprochement mean for the Palestinians? - +972 Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- EU as Arbiter of Ideological Elegance? The European Conservative - The European Conservative - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Catholic theology yesterday and today: A Thomist's response to Dr ... - Catholic World Report - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Andy Warhol exhibition coming to College of DuPage - Chicago Tribune - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- COVER STORY | Arlo Parks Embraces the Intimacy of Aliveness - Paste Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The Number Ones: The Black Eyed Peas' Boom Boom Pow - Stereogum - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- 7 First-time ASTRA Exhibitors You Don't Want to Miss This June - Gifts & Decorative Accessories - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Curator Lesley Lokko on the Venice Architecture Biennale: 'It's about ... - Financial Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- German revolution of 1848: A precursor to today's democracy - DW (English) - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Hoxton, Lloyd Amsterdam to open 21st August 2023 - Hospitality Net - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ruin America? Joe Manchin is just getting started. | Will Bunch ... - The Philadelphia Inquirer - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How the MTV logo captured the creative spirit of the 1980s - Creative Bloq - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- I give up I cant do that: The song that made David Crosby want to quit music - Far Out Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How We Loved and Lost the Hot Girl Summer - The Swaddle - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 5 Laid Back Essentials From Faherty Prove The Hype - Fatherly - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' director Daniel Goldhaber explains the ... - The Real News Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Totally Rockin' History of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - Collider - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Was The Hunger Games Renaissance Planned All Along? - GameRant - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Michael J. Fox Looks Back on Hollywood Triumphs, Setbacks and Why Parkinsons Is the Gift That Keeps on Taking - Variety - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- It's Raining Ramen! A Brief History of Jewish Asian Fusion - Aish - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ted Weber's Wesleyan Political Theology - Juicy Ecumenism - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- What do the British Royals and Cleopatra have in common? - Firstpost - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Pakistan Army won't bounce back easily this time. Imran Khan ... - ThePrint - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Five years since #MeToo, Tarana Burke is looking beyond the hashtag - Yahoo News - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- After Florence Pugh Freed The Nipple, Olivia Wilde Supported The Movement On New Magazine Cover - CinemaBlend - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Barbara Kay: The Movement to Normalize Pedophilia Hits a Roadblock, but We Mustn't Let Our Guard Down - The Epoch Times - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Is it Time to Decolonize Global Health Data? - Research Blog - Duke University - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesnt Think Women Talking Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo Entertainment - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- We need a strong nationalist as a president - Daily Sun - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The 19th Century Movement to Canonize Columbus - Catholic Exchange - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Audemars Piguet toasts 50 years of Royal Oak with new watches, book - New York Post - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesn't Think 'Women Talking' Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo! Voices - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Best Bets: 6 nights of live music at Wussow's and more - Duluth News Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Five Burning Questions: Bad Bunny Spends a 13th Week at No. 1 With Un Verano Sin Ti - Billboard - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- San Diego artist uses creativity to uplift Black culture and 'determine how we are seen' - The San Diego Union-Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The Premier League at thirty - what should it sound like next? - Broadcast - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Steve Braunias on Peter Ellis case: 'Moral panic, contaminated evidence and an innocent ghost' - New Zealand Herald - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Constituency Statutes: The Overlooked Predecessor to the ESG Movement - JD Supra - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 10 books to add to your reading list in October 2022 - Los Angeles Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Multiple Religions Coexisting Within the Catholic Church - Crisis Magazine - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 2023 Oscar Predictions The Rules of the Game - Awards Daily - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Kathy Sheridan: Brace yourselves for where Giorgia Meloni and Italy end up - The Irish Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The rise and fall of Sir Philip Green, the retail king who fell from grace - Evening Standard - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The lying flat movement standing in the way of China ... - Brookings - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Namwali Serpell Distills the Disorienting Experience of Grief in 'The Furrows' - Shondaland.com - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Dance & House Music Ruled the Summer. What Now? - Complex - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- It is time to back a new party in the elections - Morning Star Online - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- The empty feminism of Dont Worry Darling - The Guardian - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Sunburn The morning read of what's hot in Florida politics 9.26.22 - Florida Politics - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- GOP candidate Trevor Lee ran a secret Twitter account that attacked LGBTQ people and Utah Gov. Cox. Now he's been rebuked by Republican leadership. -... - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Peeling Back the Slasher-Inspired Look of HBO Maxs Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin with Cinematographer Anka Malatynska - Dread Central - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- If theres a settlement, XRP will pump: Finder founder and other experts speculate on ... - Stockhead - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]