SPECIAL REPORT You’ve got to hand it to RaGa. This probably sounds like an oxymoron right now. With the Modi train running in full steam and the BJP well on its way to gaining a majority in the upcoming elections, any word even faintly in favour of the Congress, especially the Gandhi clan, sounds ludicrous right now.
But, let’s step back a bit from the chaos and have a look at Rahul Gandhi, through a slightly more rational eye. He’s certainly not a born political leader, unlike, say his late grandmother or his father. He makes the most bizarre statements wherever he goes, adding to the repertoire of Indian comedy writers, almost every month. It’s pretty much accepted that the leadership position has been foisted on him; it’s certainly not something which he’s comfortable with.
However, it does take a strong man to recover from that Arnab Goswami interview. That was without doubt, an unrivalled fiasco like no other. There is probably no political leader who has given a worse interview. But to give credit where it’s due, Rahul Gandhi has tried to bounce back from it. Since the last few months, he’s actually tried to galvanize the Congress party in the face of a massive defeat. Probably, it’s too late in the day, but to give credit where it’s due, better late than ever.
Rahul Gandhi has stepped up his pitch in the last few months and has been noticeably much more personal and aggressive. Probably, it’s something which he’s been forced to do, but there is no doubt that he has worked to shake off the image of the ‘reluctant leader’ forced into politics. He directly took on the Shiv Sena in Aurangabad, Bihar, by accusing them of attacking Biharis. And he’s not been wary of attacking Modi, bring up Snoopgate as well as accusing him of destroying Gujarat’s farmers.
Taking a mood out of Modi’s book, he also plans to address 125 rallies, while his mother will address 80. Looking at the number of rallies he had addressed in the last few years, this is a definite step-up; a sign that he indeed means business.
So, is this renewed onslaught working? Has the nation warmed up to the Shehzada, as Modi so lovingly calls him?
To be very blunt, it would be unfair to blame the condition of the Congress squarely on Rahul Gandhi. For one, he’s hardly participated in the mechanisms of the government; his attendance record in Parliament itself is only 42 percent. Secondly, when he did decide to roll up his sleeves and enter the arena, it was at a time when the Congress Party was at the nadir of its powers.
The sheer anti-incumbency in the country currently would have anyway propelled the Congress Party to defeat, whoever had taken the reigns. But, Rahul didn’t make it easy for himself; calling ‘poverty a state of mind’ and talking about the ‘escape velocity of Jupiter’ isn’t really the smartest thing to say when the party you’re heading, is on a one-way slope down to disaster.
Whatever he might say, Rahul Gandhi probably knows, in his heart of hearts, that this is not an election he can win. So his main strategy lies in damage control. Hence the renewed onslaught on BJP; to try and be as aggressive as possible, score any desperate points he can, because right now, he has nothing to lose, and anything gained is a bonus for the future.
Looking in that context, it seems to have worked. The mood of the nation seems to have tilted, ever so slightly. What Rahul Gandhi has managed to do is shift the goalposts to a very small extent. Unlike the Assembly Elections last year, the political rhetoric has shifted back to Congress vs BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party has become more muted recently; it has been trying desperately to explain its 49 day Delhi reign while at the same time, launch a proper election campaign.
Arvind Kejriwal has lost the magnetic connect which personified his victory in Delhi last year, while his party is trying valiantly to fight off allegations about in-fighting and corruption within the party. They have probably stretched their resources too thin and allowed Rahul Gandhi and the Congress to get a toehold in the political mudfest.
In fact, the stark difference is clear in the opinion poll conducted by AC Neilsen and ABP News in Jan and March. While at the height of its popularity, AAP was supposed to garner 55% vote share in Jan according to the survey, it plummets to 34% in March. BJP has gained a mere 3% at the expense of AAP. However, the real gainer, according to the survey, is Congress which had a measly 9% in January. They made a stirring fight to be back in the game with about 28% in March.
This additional 19% has been snatched by Congress from AAP’s jaws of defeat. Of course, this two-month swing has largely come due to the consistent decline in Arvind Kejriwal’s public image. However, enough credit must be handed out to Rahul Gandhi for coming out, stepping up the tempo, trying to fight a battle where he was written off, and wresting some semblance of respect in Delhi back from AAP. Once again, its BJP vs Congress!
However, as mentioned earlier, it has probably come a little too late. The Congress is staring down the barrel, faced with a complete rout. It really does not deserve any better; its inept handling of the Indian economy while its brazen association with the myriad number of scams are issues which have angered the masses to such an extent that they are not willing to forgive and forget so easily. Rahul Gandhi has tried, but it is truly beyond his capability to gloss over the performance of Manmohan Singh’s second term in power.
And so the effort continues. Unfortunately, sometimes his advisers go overboard. After Modi’s declaration of his wife’s name on his election affidavit, Rahul Gandhi has been attacking him left, right and centre. In absence of anything concrete against Modi, detractors often bring up such issues.
However, it did not behoove well on part of Rahul to rake up childhood tragedies which were inflicted upon the man and woman without either of them having any say in it. So much so, that in this new-found aggression (advised by sister Priyanka), he has forgotten that he comes from a family that is often infamous for the litany of extra-marital relationships that they have had, not forced, but welcomed. Nehru’s affair with Edwina Mountbatten is the subject of much sought-after stories.
So is Katherine Frank’s revelation on Indira’s supposed string of beaus. Why then should personal tragedies by brought into an already below-the-belt version of election campaigning? If Rahul is not careful, it will only be akin to opening the Pandora’s box, especially on social media.
Yet and despite all the ‘Pappu’ jokes though, Rahul Gandhi may have a reason to smile. The Congress will most likely be routed, but they may live to see another day. And perhaps, that is the one trick up his sleeve, which we’ve all missed. Let the party go down now, but clutch at the straws, and try and make a comeback later. Because, in politics, you can never write anyone off.
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