Its experiment of testing young Gandhi family scion failed miserably so much so that the "Yuvraj" ran away from the field leaving the army of workers " Senapati (general) less". How can a army fight the battle without Senapati? Not only this, its last hope of cashing on the "charismatic Indira Gandhi like personality" of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also didn't work. The highly polarized voters proved too strong to be submerged or weaned away by the charisma of a 'brooded' personality.
There is an old saying " history repeats itself. So has history been repeated? The party was founded some 134 years back (28 December 1885" a retired British officer, by Allan Octavian Hume. His main purpose was to offer a platform for civil and political dialogue among educated Indians.By the time control of India had been transferred from the East India Company to the British Empire as a fallout of 1857 rebellion.
Ironically, one of the reasons for the survival of Congress under might British rule was the patronage of British authorities and the rising class of Indians and Anglo-Indians educated in the English based British tradition. Honestly, "phirangi" rulers considered Congress a pro-British outfit. Many people, especially hardcore Hindus grown in pure Indian culture had strong reservation about the Congress and its British educated leadership.
In fact, subsequently it led to the formation of Hindu Mahasabha in 1915 to protect the rights of the Hindu community in British India. Earlier. in 1906, the All India Muslim League had come into existence. The League was specially formed to create a separate Muslim electorate. We find in history that India stood divided in sectarian mindset at the very beginning of 2oth century.
Congress , by and large, remained an upper middle class dominated party till the arrival of Mahatma Gandi. It was the upsurging of the freedom from "phirangi" rule that made Congress a mass-based party. It reamained as such as long it worked for independence It was able to cash the fight even after independence for sometime.
But, after coming to power for long time, the Congress became a party of "opportunists. vested interests and self-seekers, just out to reap the fruits of power. Gradually, it started getting alienated from the masses. Smt. Indira Gandhi was able to slow this process for some time with her populist measures but after her death, party could never match the organisational power of RSS-fed BJP and subsequently rise of Hindu sentiments. And the fact is that Congress has no organisational strength and whatever, little organisational framework is there, its severely being weakened by infighting and self seekers.
Many people, including Congress sympathizers still believe, Congress should have been dissolved after independence as wanted by Mahatma Gandhi. It should have started afresh on its organisational strength than cashing on pre-independence legacy. In the past seven decades, its dependence on "one family' has only created a mess rather than penetrating into masses. Its mass base among Dalits, Tribals and weaker sections has been weaned away by rivals.
The result is that, the Grand Old Party has been decimated in may states including the largest one like U.P and West Bengal. Even in Maharashtra and Bihar, party is dependent on allies.
The present state of affairs of the party is the result of its high dependence on Nehru-Gandhi family. If party is to survive, it needs to match the organisational strength of BJP and surge of saffron sentiments. This surge is due to total failure and flop show of secular forces including Congress and left. Jokes , sometime, appear prophetic. Congress may not survive for long unless it radially changes itself. It needs a lesson from saffron party. You have to learn from your mistakes ad misdeeds.