New Delhi: The Congress Party, after five decades of politicking in a bungalow on Akbar Road, has shifted its headquarters. But not to any nondescript address. Rather, it has set up shop in a glittering new building on Kotla Marg, a mere stone’s throw from its arch-foe BJP’s headquarters at 6 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg. Naturally, this has caused a brouhaha.
First, let’s talk about the address. The Congress, acutely aware of nuances of political messaging, decided it couldn’t possibly have its main entrance on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg—named after the RSS ideologue and Hindutva icon. That would be like a Marxist group holding a rally at the headquarters of McDonald’s. Instead, they boldly declared, “No, thank you,” to the BJP and snuck around the corner to Kotla Marg. The Kotla Road back entrance is now the main gate, a location not just symbolically significant but also a safe distance from the BJP’s ideological heartland. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Congress, ever committed to maintaining its family traditions, named its new HQ Indira Bhawan. Not quite as ritzy as the BJP’s gleaming five-storey headquarters, which looks like it was designed by a team of architects with too much ambition and a lot of concrete, but still pretty fancy for a party in decline.
Despite the grandeur of the name, the building’s opening ceremony came with its own little surprise: the announcement of a brand-new library. Of course, what better place to pay tribute to the man who has been on Congress’s radar for so long— Manmohan Singh. But wait! They didn’t name the building after him. Oh, no. That would be a bridge too far. Instead, they decided to honour him with a library named after him, perhaps because a book collection is the closest they can get to acknowledging his contributions. All that talk of Manmohan Singh not being acknowledged by the BJP? Congress just did that. Thank God it was the library and not the pantry at the building named after Manmohan Singh.
The grand unveiling of Indira Bhawan had a surprise for everyone, especially the ever-watchful BJP. Amid all the patriotic chants and flag-hoisting, there appeared on the walls—gasp—three photographs of PV Narasimha Rao. Yes, the man who singlehandedly redefined India’s economy and yet was treated like the forgotten cousin at family reunions. Notably absent from his former place at 24 Akbar Road, Rao’s ghost now looms over the new Congress HQ like a finance minister’s ghost at an economics symposium.
Congress, recognising the tidal wave of BJP criticism about their treatment of Rao, has decided to stop pretending he didn’t exist—well, mostly. But, let’s face it: it’s a start. Perhaps next time, they’ll even commission a proper Rao bust in front of the Manmohan library? Adding to the controversy, anonymous posters appeared outside the new building, demanding it be renamed “Sardar Manmohan Singh Bhawan” in honour of the recently passed former prime minister. The BJP, ever the meddler, was quick to jump in, saying Congress had missed a golden opportunity to show respect.
