Point to be noted at the outset: this piece is in no way, either overtly or covertly, sponsored by any chain of eateries. With the slate clean, one can then use the words without ambiguity or self-consciousness: thank god, it’s Friday that the Congress is holding its “dialogue” session at Surajkund. For, the weekend would mean fewer talk shows and raucous debates on Talk TV to strip the dialogue process to search for meanings, innuendoes, import, consequence and their assembled worth for the nation and the party.

Just before noon, ticker updates on news channels beaming pictures of beaming Congress leaders welcoming a slightly more sombre-looking Manmohan Singh and the Gandhis — mother and son — say the “brainstorming session” would be addressed by the troika, would also discuss how to promote “next generation” Congress leaders, and evaluate the economic reforms process. Nothing you hadn’t heard of; exactly what happened and came out of the massive rally at Ramlila Maidan five days ago; and no surprises as yet ahead of the “big strategy session”.

Save for finance minister P Chidambaram’s name doing the rounds as one of the speakers on the economic front.

Not unlike the run-up to every big-ticket Congress meet, the speculation in the media and the Metro in the capital was the same on Friday, too: Is Congress’s ‘waiting for Godot’ moment over? Will Rahul Gandhi be elevated? Has his time come, finally?

The more things change, the more they remain the same? You can safely bet all your Diwali gifts, and giving the phrase a ‘hello, good morning’ welcome was the BJP, playing the dead-duck opposition’s role it has mastered by now, mocking the Surajkund session. But without getting too carried away by Sonia-Rahul’s bus ride to the venue and Shashi Tharoor’s midday tweet, let’s play the armchair analyst and look at some issues the party should have taken up at the “samvad” session but would not.

1. An in-depth discussion on corruption is something the Congress has always fought shy of. Instead, the party’s instant reaction is to project prime minister Singh’s honesty and integrity.

2. How to usher in ‘real’ internal democracy. Rahul Gandhi has for long been making his point about the need for democracy at district/panchayat levels etc, and in Youth Congress. But it sounds a little rich coming from the young Gandhi, doesn’t it?

3. Ways to promote genuine grassroots-level leaders. It’s another debate whether such leaders exist any more in India’s political party democracy, at least at mid- or mid-senior level, but most Congress leaders with mass contact and real reach are getting along in age. Most of the rest are TV studio debaters.

4. Look at Gen Next leadership beyond the Rahul brigade. Which effectively means eight or ten dapper men and women, a.k.a. political scions, with clipped accent. Which further means lack of ‘mass reach’ (refer to point above).

5. Rein in the professional sycophants. Unleashing these characters at the drop of a hat (imagine the DLF-Robert Vadra land saga or generally any charges by Subramaniam Swamy or rest of India against the Gandhis) shows badly on the country’s oldest party.

6. How to rein in Digvijay Singh’s forever-shooting mouth and Shashi Tharoor’s ever-shooting off tweets. In fact, many might suggest a full session on this issue itself, for the former chief minister and the former diplomat, between them, have the potential to embarrass the party and the government like a one-man army comprising on each one’s day.

7. Ways to deal with allies. Given its top-heavy hierarchy and aversion to basic modes of internal democracy over the decades, the Congress has always found the journey tough ever since alliances became de rigueur in Indian democracy. While mercurial Mamata and shrewd Sharad will have different tales to tell, the Congress would do well to look inside to look outside, walk the talk and talk the walk with its allies.