"The Congress must die." This provocative comment from noted psephologist and Swaraj India party president Yogendra Yadav has found wide resonance with those disillusioned by the dispirited opposition fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) formidable winning machinery.

There have been growing calls for critical and honest introspection within the Congress following its second successive drubbing in a parliamentary election. A party that helped India win its independence, and bagged as many as 404 seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, is battling for relevance today.