Dehradun, Feb. 18 -- It was Mahatma Gandhi's suggestion that the Congress be disbanded after attainment of Indian independence. This was perhaps because he realised that the party that led the independence movement was the umbrella under which many ideological streams had come together for a common cause. Now that the objective had been achieved, it would be difficult for all to stay on board. He was right, as many leaders of stature disassociated themselves from the party over a period of time for a number of reasons, but mostly because their politics did not agree with the Fabian Socialism that inspired Pandit Nehru and his development vision.
Rajiv Gandhi came to power on the back of a massive mandate brought about by the emotional resp...