By Anurag Mishra
Rahul ji, you caught fish, tried to learn about makhana (fox nuts) farming, made jalebi (a sweet), ran, did push-ups, walked in the cold in a T-shirt, cooked and ate a meal at with Lalu Prasad Yadav (at his residence in Patna). But none of it brought any result.
Rahul Gandhi ji, have you ever thought about the reason behind your repeated failures. Forgive me for using the word “fail”. I had no choice. I did not feel good when BJP workers suggested new career paths for you.
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These things stay in politics. Your party also made many AI videos. I write this open letter today to ask you something. Have you ever thought about who will vote for you; who stands with you (I mean real voters)?
And yes, accept that caste becomes the truth in elections. A person needs the cover of truth to win. Look at the restlessness inside Dinesh Sharma. He tried to lift the spirit of the party while waving the flag alone outside the office.
कल राहुल गांधी के समर्थक दिनेश शर्मा बिहार चुनाव में हार के बाद नेता विपक्ष के आवास पर नंगे पांव तिरंगा लेकर पहुंचे थे, ताकि उनका हौसला बढ़ा सकें।
हार-जीत राजनीति का एक पहलू है इसलिए कभी भी कॉन्फिडेंस कम नही होना चाहिए.. और विकट परिस्थिति में अपने नेता के साथ खड़ा रहना चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/gpH1XvCQGF
— Dinesh Purohit (@Imdineshpurohit) November 17, 2025
The Bihar Assembly election results came. Then the weekend passed. Your party won only six seats out of 61. The vote share stopped at 8.71%. I believe the Congress must have reviewed its performance. That is why I write this letter now. The question does not sit on BJP’s victory or its strong mandate. The question sits on the condition of the Congress, which is the principal Opposition, the Grand Old Party. Its condition does not look good for any healthy democracy.
Congress workers do not feel the shock the way people like me feel it. It is a jolt for us. The country seems to be moving toward one party and one alliance.
Rahul ji, the fear grows. The Opposition may fade. People who vote for the BJP also feel sad when they look at the Congress. People who left the Congress feel the same sadness. The question stays. Why did the situation reach this point? People who once shouted “Congress tempo high” slowly turned toward the lotus. You may not have thought about this change. Who remains with you now?
Here’s a list of career paths Rahul Gandhi might actually ace…
Because clearly, the current one isn’t working! pic.twitter.com/Ys6xoqwYmM
— BJP (@BJP4India) November 17, 2025
Who’s Left Beside You?
Rahul ji, you have won many elections. You know better than anyone that a party survives on the strength of its cadre. It is the hard work and sweat of ordinary workers that ultimately bring victory. But the question today is whether that cadre base still exists for you.
Take Uttar Pradesh as an example. There was a time when Brahmins stood firmly with you and Muslims and Adivasis (indigenous communities or scheduled tribes) supported you. Then the Samajwadi Party (SP) rose and pulled the Yadavs away, and eventually a large section of Muslims too. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) built its own strong social base. The BJP consolidated the upper castes, and later, it also reached the Adivasi communities. In this shifting landscape, who is left standing with you now?
Factionalism With Caste Flavour
Factionalism began to creep into the party, and a little caste-based flavour started shaping its decisions. People did not speak openly about it, but it was visible. Our grandfather’s generation grew up as committed Congress supporters because the party once everyone along. That inclusive image has now shifted to the BJP.
In its early decades, the Congress governments launched schemes that genuinely changed lives. Poverty went down, food scarcity declined and rural families gravitated toward the Congress. Lower-middle-class families also placed their trust in the party, and the urban middle class supported it because, at that time, they did not see any alternative.
However, once new political options emerged, the Congress did not make enough effort to hold on to its traditional supporters. Internal factional fights increased. Mandal politics rose. Social justice movements gained momentum. The Ram Mandir movement transformed politics, and polarisation deepened. The BJP spread its roots.
The Congress needed alertness at that moment. Thirty years of Uttar Pradesh now show a different story. The Congress did not rebuild its base after one defeat or the next. It leaders and workers left one after another. They helped other parties grow. Your leaders want to live their own pride.
BJP Copied Your Playbook
The BJP then picked up your formula. Rahul ji, BJP’s panna pramukh idea is influenced by the old Congress organisation. The Congress once had a strong block-level and village-level network. The party allowed it to fall apart.
You can also see leadership crisis within the Congress. The last 20 years make it painfully clear. Senior leaders drifted away one after another, and no serious plan ever emerged to rescue the party. The Congress failed to build new state-level leadership, while the BJP not only developed its first line of leadership, but second and even third.
In Congress-ruled states, senior leaders often clash with younger ones, and many appear more focussed on securing tickets for their family members than on strengthening the party. Through all of this, you did not step in to restore order or offer clear direction.
Himanta Biswa Sarma (now a BJP leader and the chief minister of Assam) remains one of the clearest examples of what went wrong. The Congress missed its moment. The party failed to give space to emerging leaders, while seniors remained glued to their chairs and continued to carry the entire burden of the organisation. This may be uncomfortable to hear, but the party is not standing; it is slipping. A new generation could have taken charge, but you did not allow them the space to grow. Jyotiraditya Scindia left. Sachin Pilot feels ignored. Through it all, you stayed silent.
You have now lost Bihar. BJP leaders count your 95 defeats and boast that the Congress is heading toward a century of losses. I ask you to pause and reflect. From whom do you now expect votes? Who will vote for you? Look at this closely and do not rely on others for the answer. Those advisers may have misled you for years.
He said he’s not worried about it… https://t.co/KrDOuWWCd8 pic.twitter.com/aV6y5ahDVZ
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 16, 2025
Bihar Tells The Story
Take Bihar as an example. EBCs (Extremely Backward Classes) largely rallied behind the Janata Dal (United). Kurmis and Kushwahas stood firmly with Nitish Kumar. Brahmins, Thakurs and Bhumihars shifted toward the BJP. Together, the BJP and JD(U) attracted women and young voters through a mix of welfare schemes, targeted outreach. The BJP strengthened its position with both its welfare delivery and its Hindutva messaging.
Chirag Paswan consolidated the Dalit and Mahadalit vote, while leaders like Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Manjhi remained secure within their respective communities. In the end, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) offered voters a complete thali (a full political platter) and walked away with the victory. And through all of this, what were you doing?
Rahul ji, you often speak about EVMs and poll irregularities, but it is time to think about something far more fundamental: who actually stands with you now? I am talking about your vote bank. Muslim voters have drifted away. In Uttar Pradesh, they moved toward the SP. In Bihar, they turned to the RJD. Others split between the JD(U) and (Asadududdin) Owaisi’s party, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). They have realised that the Congress is unlikely to see better days anytime soon. The upper castes have drawn the same conclusion. They do not want to waste their vote on a party they believe cannot win.
Do It The BJP Way
Adopt the BJP’s method. People call the BJP a poll machine, and after 11 years in public life you know exactly why. But you do not act. If the path does not come to you on its own, then you must create one. Bring new people forward. Break leaders away from the BJP if you must. Give them roles, visibility and recognition. At least then, something will begin to move.
This Is How The BJP Pulls It Off
Look at how the BJP works. As the vote counting in Bihar drew to a close and the NDA’s victory became clear, they immediately began celebrating. The very next day, they began preparing for the next election. The Congress, on the other hand, falls silent for months. Eventually, a few leaders reappear on social media. Then come a handful of visits. After that, a few scattered statements. There is no movement, no rhythm and no urgency.
You speak in English during your foreign trips, and when you return home, your voice in Hindi sounds hesitant and faint. Fake news spreads quickly, and your leaders rarely correct it. Believe me, Congress leaders may not feel the urgency of this moment, but the people who care about democracy feel deeply troubled.
I hope you take this seriously. You need to rethink family politics, rebuild your base, focus on positive political work, take Hindi seriously and introduce something genuinely new. Everything else feels empty now.
I say this without anger. I say it with concern. Your vote bank has collapsed. Accept this reality. You must rebuild it from zero. And you can with the help of an honest team. Strengthen your cadre. Even a lone Congress worker standing silently in a BJP rally hopes for your party’s revival.
(Views are personal)
