It has been a memorable rollercoaster ride for the Congress at 24 Akbar Road. As the AICC headquarters moves to its new address today, the sprawling bungalow in Lutyen’s Delhi will remain a mute witness to tumultuous times, from the days of Indira Gandhi to the present.

There was never a dull moment. Central to Congress politics for nearly half-a-century, the bungalow stands witness to numerous bittersweet moments in the life of the grand old party, moments which both made and marred. It has also made records, some good, some not so good.

The rebellion of V.P. Singh, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the dramatic removal of Sitaram Kesri as Congress president by the CWC, and senior leaders subsequently walking to adjacent 10, Janpath to request Sonia Gandhi to become the leader, were all witnessed by this bungalow. 

It also witnessed the days of Operation Blue Star, the assassinations of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, the rise of the BSP, and the Mandal and Hindutva forces that changed the politics of India forever. 

Not only did it see the Congress extend outside support to the United Front government, but also the first experiment of sharing power at the Centre with like-minded parties in May 2004, which continued until 2014 with the late Dr Manmohan Singh as PM.

A setback was the parting of ways by Sharad Pawar, Tariq Anwar, and the late P.A. Sangma to form the NCP. It signalled the failure of the party to take along powerful regional leaders as soon as the party formed the government in Maharashtra in alliance with Pawar’s party. 

Sonia Gandhi’s creating a record at the helm of the grand old party also happened here, as did Rahul Gandhi’s brief stint. The mother and later the son have remained major influences for the past nearly three decades.  

In fact, 24 Akbar Road has seen the zenith as also the nadir. The top-of-the-world feeling as well as the sinking feeling through two long phases of being in the political wilderness at the Centre, the second still ongoing.

Imagine if a sound and light show were to be held at the national capital's principal political address for the past nearly half-a-century; it would be such an absorbing affair, replete with plots and sub-plots, twists and turns, shocks and upheavals, victory and defeat, rebels and loyalists, and what have you.

One still recalls how in the mid-1990s, then Congress chief Sitaram Kesri, at a press conference, declared that he had cancelled the Lok Sabha ticket to P.V. Narasimha Rao for failing to protect the Babri Masjid. The announcement was so huge that it suddenly brought curtains on the press conference.

24, Akbar Road was above all a public place open to the karyakarta, big and small. The open house was its inherent power, as one could witness the vibrant democracy at play, with workers and leaders from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Manipur to Dwarka, making a beeline for it.

Over the years, there have been changes. Earlier, the CWC used to meet on the traditional Indian baithak. Now, it has caught up with the times and has become a table-and-chair affair.

In the mid-90s, a huge donation box was put up near the entrance to facilitate workers to help the organisation. Many leaders those days were seen putting money in the box. The era of selfie moments had not yet started.

The place will especially remember the late Oscar Fernandes, who as general-secretary used to meet workers after midnight, and there used to be a rush even at that time to meet ‘Brother Oscar’, as he was known in the party.

During the day, veteran Motilal Vora had made it a point for over a decade to sit through and be available to whomever wanted as he worked as the AICC treasurer, a key responsibility. In the Narasimha Rao days, it was Janardhan Poojary who virtually made the AICC headquarters his home.

Old timers still recall the way stalwarts like Vasantdada Patil and G.K. Moopanar took stock of the affairs from the party HQ. The tussle between the working president Kamalapati Tripathi and vice-president Arjun Singh always remained a talking point in the Rajiv Gandhi days.

There might have been spokespersons or media department heads galore, which included veterans like the late Pranab Mukherjee, Shivraj Patil, and M. Veerappa Moily and Janardana Dwivedi; but the one most fondly remembered is the late V.N. Gadgil and his quotable quotes. Gadgil’s description of the first government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1996 as a "thirteen-day wonder” is still talked about. Being every bit a Congressman, that too from a freedom fighter's family, evidently helped.

From the difficult days of Indira Gandhi, when she was out of power, the party then known as Congress-I after two splits had moved here in January 1978, a lucky move for the organisation as she was back as PM in two years.

24, Akbar Road saw the zenith of Congress power, with Rajiv Gandhi becoming PM in the elections after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on 31 October 1984, with over 400 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, a record. It also saw the nadir in May 2014 when the party not only lost power but came down to a paltry 44, the lowest for the party that brought India its independence.

The 1980s were the high point in the life of the ruling party at 24, Akbar Road. It is said that no one can stay on Everest for long. Similar was the predicament of the Congress. The Rajiv Gandhi government was the last regime in which the party had the absolute majority.

Now, all eyes are on Indira Bhawan to see whether it can bring about a change in the party’s fortunes, at a time when it is making all the right noises and taking up causes dear to the masses. ‘When winter comes, can spring be far behind?' as the poet said.

Sunil Gatade was associate editor with PTI, New Delhi, and Venkatesh Kesari was assistant editor with the Asian Age. Both have covered major political beats, including Congress and Parliament