Opinion | "As If We're Sultans Still": Why Congress Must Recall Jairam Ramesh's Words From 2017

"What we have seen in Haryana today is a victory of manipulation and subverting the will of the people; it's a defeat for transparent democratic processes...We can't accept it."

If you heard this on TV or read it in the morning papers, you might assume it came from a radical left leader or a separatist. But that's not the case. This official statement was made by Jairam Ramesh, the Congress party's communication chief. He delivered this declaration at a press conference at the party's headquarters on Akbar Road shortly after it became clear on Tuesday that the Congress, despite its high-profile election campaign, was losing, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was making history by winning the Haryana elections for the third consecutive time with an increased majority.

The Congress social media cell quickly posted Ramesh's statement on X (formerly Twitter) for wider circulation, both nationally and internationally. It's worth noting that Ramesh is a well-educated leader, a former Union minister, and currently one of Rahul Gandhi's most trusted lieutenants. It's no wonder, then, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi accuses Congress of outsourcing its thought process to "urban naxals".

'The Sultanate Is Gone'

Flashback to 2017, when Ramesh felt sidelined within the Congress's hierarchy after the party lost power in 2014, and the BJP, led by Narendra Modi, secured a majority. In an interview with PTI, Ramesh said, "The sultanate has gone, but we behave as if we are sultans still." He argued that the Congress was facing an existential crisis and that old methods wouldn't suffice to tackle the challenges posed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then-BJP chief, Amit Shah.

Ironically, the late Sheila Dikshit, a prominent Congress leader and Delhi's chief minister for 15 years, countered him by stating, "Jairam Ramesh is one of the sultans."

Today, Ramesh is near the top of the Congress's leadership structure. His proximity to and perceived influence over Rahul Gandhi amplifies his significance within the organisation, which is evident to anyone closely following politics.

The Congress Echo Chamber

His statement on Tuesday afternoon, that the party "can't accept" the Haryana election results, reflects the "sultan and sultanate" mindset he previously critiqued. It highlights the Congress's smugness; they assumed a victor's stance after the 2024 parliamentary elections despite falling short of three-digit numbers and landing at 99 seats - one of the lowest tallies in the party's history. Rather than thoughtfully considering the road ahead, the party appears trapped in its own echo chamber. Its supreme leader seemed to find a panacea in the rhetoric of a "caste survey" and "threats to the Constitution and institutions".

The complacency among Congress leaders was evident when the party's IT cell chief and spokesperson, Supriya Shrinate, boldly claimed on a television channel that she would change her name if the BJP exceeded 15-20 seats in Haryana. That video clip has since gone viral. In reality, the BJP secured 48 out of 90 seats - higher than its 2014 and 2019 tally - with a vote share of nearly 40%.

While the BJP focused on unity, addressing dissent, and reaching out to the electorate, a supremely confident Congress was preoccupied with debates over who would be the Chief Minister, who would be the Speaker, and whose proxies would be in the Cabinet.

They appeared to have learned nothing from a similar debacle in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh just a year ago.

Allies Losing Confidence?

The results in Jammu and Kashmir were also disappointing for the Congress. Although the National Conference-Congress alliance won a majority, the latter's performance was dismal, with its numbers dropping from 12 seats in the last elections to just six, thanks to the National Conference's resurgence. The 12 seats it secured in 2014 were already down from 17 in 2009.

Now, the Congress's allies, including those for the upcoming elections in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, have begun questioning the party's credentials and its ability to win seats in a direct contest with the BJP. While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool mocked the Congress for its performance in Haryana, the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday snubbed its seat-share request for by-polls to 10 seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly later this year. 

It's time for Jairam Ramesh and his colleagues to reflect on his own words from that famous 2017 interview: "Old slogans don't work, old formulas don't work, old mantras don't work. India has changed, and the Congress party has to change."

(The author is Consulting Editor, NDTV)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author