'Snollygoster' is a word .... introduced by Shashi Tharoor ....is a 1885 American concoction meaning a shrewd and an unprincipled politician

'Snollygoster' is a word .... introduced by Shashi Tharoor ....is a 1885 American concoction meaning a shrewd and an unprincipled politician !!

Why the word befits India's Leader of the Opposition does not really need much of a debate. The Congress 'dynast' is being extra-smart and he presumes that the rest of India can be fooled around. He has actually tried to sell an idea ... the idea which can justify why and how he failed in as many as 100 elections.

His days as all-powerful Congress boss numbered. What's on display is the family's last minute trick. The tricks department is at work because rebellion is brewing up and a split in the Congress party is on cards.

Only numbers are being worked out and the rebels will claim the name of the Indian National Congress and the symbol.

Essentially the protest is only a photo opportunity -- being used of according to plans. English media is latching onto them.

The known anti-Modi brigade - Roy P who did not clear Prasar Bharti bills, the rain dutts and depraj lawmaker-pati, the propaganda express, the VK Singh-coup-printup show of Gupta ji

.. all are doing their job dutifully. 

Even Uncle Soros is aware of the game-plan, strategies and execution. 

Why many Congressmen and women believe the grand old party is taking a wrong route is because most believe -- the party is confused in insisting about CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation or ouster. 

If he goes - either of two commissioners will become CEC or the Modi Govt will get another new person.

What would Congress gain? The ouster of Dharmendra Pradhan did not weaken BJP on ground or in rural India. In Assan's Slchar-township with a substantial Muslim population - the BJP swept the municipal polls. And it was not EVM voting. 

  

So, Congress was humbled even in ballot count show !! The results came in at a time when Rahul Gandhi and his sister were staging 'protest shows' -perfect for camera. 

Many Congress leaders in districts and  across states now say -- things are crossing limits. Many of them realise -- what are BJP's strengths. 

During my recent visit to Gujarat (September) and in Manipur (in July 2026) - I found many Congress leaders and more importantly 'supporters' telling me that ---

- the grand old party has already paid 'heavily' for abandoning the "Hindu civilisatioal values". This was one aspect - what even Gandhi ji preferred. 

Their refrain is while Nehru and later Indira Gandhi dominated the politics. They manipulated things and the name 'Gandhi' survived in the dynast and the family name. The real teachings of Gandhiji were abandoned. 

But at the same time - pointed out a Congress supporter in Imphal (July) that -- "the BJP is cleverly all Congress virtues from Sardar Patel's name to Gandhi ji's slogan of Ram Rajya". 

The Congress office bearer in Imphal maintained - "In Manipur; problems are different. But the Congress lost the base to the BJP among Meiteis because at the national level we showed ourselves as a party which is anti-Ram Rajya. 

 

We failed to appreciate the fact that Ram Rajya as explained and envisioned by Gandhi ji was only about a near-perfect Good Governance model and there was no religiousty attached to it". 

 

Similar sentiments could be gauged in the western state of Gujarat -- where BJP is in power since mid-1990s. One retired banker referred to Nehru's oft-repeated statement that : Hindu communalism is more dangerous and while Muslim communalism was/has been more aggressive. 

"This set the ball rolling when Nehru said so after independence. It set the tone on how Hindu past would be viewed or even Hindu texts and literature on science and education should be viewed". 

A few of them also agreed with this view and claimed this is one reason, the Congress party in Gujarat may have to go back to Shankersinh Vaghela to unseat BJP in 2027 November polls". 

One refrain also emerged from this 'support base' of Congress -- that deliberately a division was created between the Govt and political mainstream (that is Congress and socialists) and that they have a 'difference' with Hindu civilisational ethos.  

In fact, several BJP leaders now say that the Rahul Gandhi-led photo or video friendly and eye-catcher protests may actually benefit BJP in the long run

Speaking to reporters, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said accepting defeat is the fundamental spirit of democracy.

“If you question constitutional institutions, you will sin by plunging the country into the fires of anarchy. Do not sin plunging the nation into unrest and anarchy. The country and its people will never forgive you,” he said.   

The high-visibility street confrontations allow the BJP to frame the opposition as "fomenting anarchy" and relying on disruption rather than constructive democratic participation. 

This narrative helps the Lotus outfit consolidate its core support base by painting itself as the defender of stability and institutional order.  

Confrontational street politics often struggle to convert undecided or moderate Modi voters into Congress supporters, leaving the core vote-share gap intact (BJP historically around 37 % vs. Congress around 20–21%). 

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan 

 Another Minister J.P. Nadda, a former BJP president, has dismissed high-profile sit-ins and detentions as "cheap and diversionary politics" that allow the government to sidestep deep substantive debates while portraying the opposition as desperate for media attention.

Rahul Gandhi has shown a tendency to win victory when the on-ground fact of the matter is different. Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation was to calm the mood in the national capital.

It was being flared up on the eve of BRICS Summit - which Modi required to host in a grand manner.

Hence, claiming ownership for protest that led to Education Minister's ouster could turn dangerous for Congress. 

India’s youths are not a typical Congress vote bank. To suggest something like hat would boomerang.

The youths have their own issues. Just because Congress is addressing Gen Z's concerns does not mean their support is with the Congress.

 The youth movement is much bigger and also complex. 

According to the August 2026 India Today–CVoter Mood of the Nation survey, Prime Minister Modi's popularity was at 48.7% to 49%, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stood far below with 27.1%.

Even though the Modi government has some "failures or lapses" ether during Covid19 or later for issues such as joblessness; some of the Modi regime's worst critics would admit that things have been managed well by the ruling dispensation.

One may call these as 'a kind' of good headline and social media management. 

So, is the country heading for a political backlash and a civil war-like situation ? Whatever be the answer of faceless Indians to this puzzle; many know by now the Congress and the opposition prefer anarchy to a normal and calm stability.

 

Blogger in eastern India 

ends