As a student of politics, I am befuddled by how the Congress appears to be thinking these days. The June 2024 verdict seemed to be a moment of repair and rebuilding for the party. And it could legitimately draw satisfaction from the fact that the Opposition had pulled the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) below the majority mark.

But just like in journalism, you are only as good as your last story: Politics is 24x7. And a slew of defeats and setbacks in assembly elections — Maharashtra, Haryana and an indifferent performance in Jammu and Kashmir -- should have raised the alarm. Instead, in peak election season in the national Capital, the Congress seems to have all but given up before the first vote is cast. And, more bewilderingly, the Congress leadership is pulling the party into ideological squabbles that have little to no resonance with regular voters.

Take Rahul Gandhi’s comments as the new party headquarters were unveiled. Had the leader of the Opposition framed his allegations about the capture of institutions as a confrontation with the Modi government, no eyebrows would have been raised. That he described the battle as a fight with the Indian State was a clear political fumble. Media headlines,........

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