Rahul Gandhi lectures on 'Ideas for India' in UK as Congress' internal crisis escalates

At a time Congress is struggling to revive its relevance in the country, former party President Rahul Gandhi addressed the 'Ideas for India' conclave in the United Kingdom. In the images of the event organised by non-profit think-tank Bridge India, a suited-booted Gandhi can be seen sitting on the stage, with a flashy background that read 'Member of Indian Parliament (Kerala)' in bold letters.

Gandhi, in the London-based event, spoke on what the present and the future holds for India. " India is a union of states. There were institutions for the nation to emerge. These are under attack now. The space of conversation & negotiation have been taken by those that control the space," the 51-year-old MP from Wayanad said at the event, which had a long list of speakers from India, political and non-political.

He reached the United Kingdom late on Thursday. Congress leaders Salman Khurshid and Priyank Khadge are also in London to take part in the event. Notably, this is his first such overseas event after the return of travel normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As Congress conducts Chintan Shivar, Rahul Gandhi flies abroad

Rahul Gandhi left for London at a time when Congress is battling the desertion of party leaders from key states. Ahead of elections in Gujarat, the party's state President Hardik Patel tendered his resignation. A similar case was witnessed in other states, be it Punjab where Sunil Jakhar wished the party luck and exited or Karnataka where Pramod Madhwaraj expressed his unwillingness to continue. 

Subsequently, the party held a Chintan Shivir in Udaipur in Rajasthan to brainstorm over challenges faced by the party, including a roadmap to strengthen the organisation ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat & Himachal Pradesh in 2022, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana in 2023, and Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand in 2024. After which is the real challenge- the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who gave a power-point presentation to Congress before rejecting the party's offer of membership, however, opined that the Chintan Shivir had 'failed to achieve anything meaningful'.  Taking to Twitter, he said that the party's brainstorming session had only prolonged the status quo by steering clear of a change of guard at least for the near future.