Blame the Cook, Not the Tawa

I’ve often found myself thinking about a simple scene: a cook burning rotis over and over again. Instead of questioning his own skills, the cook blames the tools. First, it’s the tawa that needs replacing. Then, when the rotis still burn, it’s the flour that’s the problem. Finally, in frustration, he demands that the chulha be swapped out. But in all this chaos of replacing tools, one question remains unasked: Has the cook ever thought to check if he’s capable of making rotis that aren’t burnt? This image, to me, perfectly mirrors the current state of the Congress party.

Recently, Congress has taken to blaming EVMs for its electoral losses. The party’s leadership seems stuck in the same cycle as the cook - blaming tools, not itself, for failures. And now the latest absurdity has emerged: Congress, led by none other than Jairam Ramesh, is suggesting that election results were influenced by the battery charge levels in EVMs. The idea that the BJP won seats with 99% battery charge while Congress also won in areas where EVMs had 60-70% charge is the latest in a long line of misplaced complaints.

Let’s pause here. I find this theory not just bewildering, but also fundamentally flawed. As someone who believes in science and logic, I know that a battery is simply a power source. A partially charged battery will power a device for a shorter period, but it won’t magically alter its functionality. There’s no “virus” being transmitted through a battery. The EVM is a standalone device with no connectivity to networks that could be hacked, especially not through a power supply. Yet here we are, with Congress clinging to a narrative that defies the basic principles of science and technology.

What makes this situation even more surprising is that it’s being propagated by Jairam Ramesh, an IIT graduate, someone who should understand the basics of how EVMs work. I can’t help but wonder how a leader with such an education could endorse such a far-fetched theory. It’s one thing to raise concerns about electoral fairness, but to claim that battery percentage influences outcomes? That’s a stretch too far.

But then again, maybe this isn’t about logic. Maybe it’s not even about the EVMs. What I see happening here is a refusal to confront the real issue: Congress, much like that stubborn cook, doesn’t want to examine its own shortcomings. It’s easier to blame the tools. Replace the tawa, replace the flour, replace the chulha, anything but admitting that maybe, just maybe, the cook needs to improve.

Congress party's problem isn’t faulty EVMs or low battery percentages. It’s something far more fundamental: a leadership that has become too entrenched in its ways. The party’s structure resembles a feudal system, where the same dynastic figures dominate, and internal reform is resisted at every turn. In this system, the cook is never replaced, no matter how many burnt rotis pile up. Instead of evolving or modernising, the party sticks to old ways and keeps searching for new scapegoats.

The real tragedy here is that Congress party's repeated failures aren’t because of external factors. The party is burning its own rotis. The electorate isn’t rejecting Congress because of faulty machines or rigged batteries; they’re rejecting a party that refuses to adapt to changing times, that holds onto outdated leadership, and that lacks the vision to connect with the people.

At the end of the day, replacing the tools won’t help. If Congress really wants to stop burning its chances at elections, it needs to stop blaming the tawa, the flour, or the chulha. It needs to look at its leadership, the cook, and ask whether the real issue lies there. Until that happens, I fear we’ll continue to see the same cycle: burnt rotis, missed opportunities, and misplaced blame.