“Patel, the organisational man of the Congress, wanted to purge the
Congress of other political groups and sought to make of it a cohesive
and disciplined political party. He …. sought to take the Congress away
from its all-embracing character and turn it into a close-knit party of
disciplined cadres. Being a ‘realist’ he looked more for discipline than
for comprehension. While Gandhi took too romantic a view of “carrying
on the movement,” Patel’s idea of transforming the Congress into
strictly political party with a single ideology and tight discipline showed
an equal lack of understanding of the eclectic role that the Congress,
as a government, was to be called upon to perform in the decades to
follow.” — Rajni Kothari
- Why does the author think that Congress should not have been
a cohesive and disciplined party? - Give some examples of the eclectic role of the Congress party
in the early years. - Why does the author say that Gandhi’s view about
Congress’ future was romantic?