Both Rahul Gandhi & Modi have lessons to learn from what happened in Kharagpur

The Congress, which is otherwise a fringe player in Bengal politics now, produced a commendable show in Kharagpur after the recent civic election.

Congress's solid team effort was surprising

The party, which is often accused of lacking unity and far too divided to take on any formidable opposition, exhibited a unity in the face of threat and temptation, allegedly from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) after none managed to gain a majority in the Kharagpur Municipality.

The elected Congress candidates, 11 of them, stayed together and even hid in neighbouring Odisha to avoid the ruling party's influence. They faced financial crunch but still did not surrender their will.

But the Congress could not still stop the Trinamool from grabbing the board

That though did not stop the TMC from grabbing power as it reached the magic figure of 18 in the 34-member strong municipality after a few from the BJP and Left parties joined it. But the Congress stood out because of its resistance and made a news across the state.

Can the central leadership of the party, which is in doldrums over the last few years, learn something from the 'Kharagpur Model'?

Will the top Congress leadership re-examine the party's ground strength again?

The Congress was once known for its strong base and it was a strong outfit because it was decentralised. But after the rise of Indira Gandhi and the consequent split in the party, that base was weakened and today, the party is only identified with the Gandhi family.

The Congress can gain a world of confidence through this

It is just the Gandhis who can hold the party together, it is believed, and that keeps on reiterating that Rahul Gandhi, a non-performer in politics, is the only hope for the grand-old party. The sycophants who keep on worshipping the dynasty fail to understand the ground reality and hence ignore the fact that there are still faceless workers in the party who refuse to give it away, no matter what.

Does Rahul Gandhi know about those genuine well-wishers of the party and even if he knows, will he do something for the party with the help of those trusted co-workers?

Are we that much democratic yet?

The BJP's shocking surrender on the other hand

And just opposite to this story of pride, we see how the BJP fell apart despite the fact that their top leader is single-handedly trying to give India a fresh lease of life in all spheres. A number of BJP candidates changed sides to join the TMC instead of putting up any fight, accusing the state leadership of the party of failing to boost them.

A disappointment for Modi's party ahead of next assembly polls

This is an unfortunate situation for a party which was looking forward to a better future in the state's politics but started stumbling at a crucial stage. Will Narendra Modi and his lieutenant Amit Shah take into consideration what happened in Kharagpur when they chalk out the strategy for the assembly election in Bengal next year?