Disunited they stand

What with the Congress' fortunes at an all-time low and the party crying foul over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party denying it opposition space, the party's own house is in disarray. While the party hosted its first large-scale event after its electoral debacle, the international conference to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde chose to fly abroad on vacation with his family the same day. Shinde is fully entitled to do so but considering he was both Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha and home minister under the United Progressive Alliance government, his absence is significant and suggests that the party first needs to rally its own forces before it considers attacking its enemies.