KARACHI: The future of the Indian National Congress was at the centre of two book launches on the second day of the Karachi Literature Festival where Indian journalist Barkha Dutt said she didn’t see an ‘immediate future’ for the party and Salman Khurshid, a former minister for external affairs in the Congress government, said that coalition politics could be a way out for its revival.

This Unquiet Land by Ms Dutt and The Other Side of the Mountain by Mr Khurshid were launched at separate sessions on Saturday.

With her usual outspoken style, Ms Dutt took over the first session, which was moderated by senior journalist Ghazi Salahuddin. She answered every question, not backing off even when she was called out for denying intolerance in India.

Audience at KLF feted with stimulating talk on ‘out-of-box’ persona of Modi, decline of political dynasties’ popularity & push against extremist fringe

Talking of the changing face of politics and the media, Ms Dutt said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew how to be in the news without giving extensive interviews.

“He has a complex political persona and is a product of intense media coverage. Two recent incidents prove that he can’t be fitted into a box. He continues to surprise his critics as well as his fans. His visit to Lahore to attend the wedding of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s granddaughter is a clear message that he won’t follow a script,” she said.

Then the conversation moved on to political dynasties. When Mr Salahuddin asked if it was the end of the Congress or there was a chance of its revival, Ms Dutt replied: “I don’t see an immediate future for the Congress.”

“Are you talking about the Pakistan Peoples Party,” Mr Salahuddin retorted, amusing the audience.

Explaining her point, Ms Dutt said parallels between the political dynasties of India and Pakistan were “fascinating”. “Both the families — whether it is the Bhuttos of Pakistan or the Gandhis in India — seemed “irreplaceable” and were treated almost like royalty. But things have changed.”

Referring to the recent wave of religious extremism in India, Mr Salahuddin asked whether the future of democracy in India was under sort of a cloud.

“I don’t accept that there is religious extremism in India or that democracy is under some sort of threat,” was the reply.

“The reason is that nowadays everything in the news is amplified. These incidents are abominable. Yet India pushes back aggressively against the extremist fringe.”

Giving an example, she said that when the Sudheendhra Kulkarni ink blot incident took place at the launch of Khurshid Kasuri’s book in India, condemnation coming from the entire country was in one voice.

But she admitted that it had become almost impossible to have a “complex conversation anymore as every issue is turned into a patriotism test by the online mob.”

The intolerance was not specific to India. It was inflicting the entire region, she added.

One complex conversation was the Kashmir dispute, about which Ms Dutt said it was “resolvable”. Despite political rhetoric on the topic, she said she didn’t find Kashmir being an issue in Pakistan.

“The theatre of conflict is not Kashmir anymore as the two countries (Pakistan and India) are consumed with themselves. And solution lies in the status quo.”

The rising phenomenon of regression and conservatism in India came up once again when nuclear physicist Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy raised the issue by drawing a parallel between the Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba and its Indian counterpart Rashtriya Sewak Sangh. Ms Dutt said: “I don’t see any Talibanisation of the academia. What gives me hope is to appear on TV day after day and call out the idiocy and laugh about it.”

CONGRESS PROSPECTS: Drawing a similar parallel, Salman Khurshid, during the launch of his book, said that there appeared to be a big change on the political horizon of India after the elections in Bihar, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

“But when it comes to the Congress, it’ll have to do with a coalition rather than risk fighting alone.”

At present, he said, Rahul Gandhi was focused on bringing internal democracy within the party by questioning the existing norms.

The idea of a ‘youth congress’ could not be sustained after the elections, he said, adding that at the same time, the party was facing the dilemma that in order to revive, it would have to prove that it was more than a ‘Musalman party’.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2016