Kalyani Shankar
Will the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi seize the moment of opportunity, which has come his way after his return from the mysterious sabbatical? This is the question that is being asked within the Congress, as the party men are not sure how determined or how serious he is about his future role. What is the guarantee that he will not disappear again?
After a long time Gandhi has hit the front page for the right reasons. But it would take more than a few speeches of this kind and convincing sound bites to the television to make his party men believe in his metamorphosis to a serious leader. They are skeptical about his intentions but are willing to give him a trial.
His admirers believe that Gandhi made an impressive show in Parliament in two of his rare speeches – one on land acquisition bill and the other on net neutrality. One could see a new Rahul Gandhi, in his ‘angry young man’ avatar trying to take on the BJP and the Prime Minister Modi after he has wasted one year since the Congress defeat in 2014 polls. In fact his aggressiveness has put the BJP and its allies in confusion, as they do not know how to handle the new Gandhi – Should they continue to ridicule him or should they take him seriously and respond?
Rahul, who has come back after his 56-day sabbatical is certainly showing remarkable show of confidence. In Parliament and outside Gandhi has been quick to make up for the lost time after being out of limelight. He has made aggressive speeches in recent times not only in Parliament but also outside. What gave him this new confidence is not known but if he continues to be like this, his party workers will get enthused and so will his party MPs.
Rahul began his new avatar with the farmer’s rally on Sunday, which became the base for his re-launch. The next day he made that scathing attack on the Modi Government in Parliament, calling them ‘suit boot ke sarkar’. There was confidence, punch, humor, eloquence and meat in his speeches. His body language was also different. He left the BJP gaping when he made that tongue-in-cheek remark ‘Desh Ke Pradhan Mantri Aapke Pradhan Mantri Nahi Hai?’ reference. Right or wrong his criticism that the Modi Government is for the corporates is slowly sinking in the minds of the public. It is a vote catching issue, as 65 per cent of the population is farmers. The Congress has now made it clear that it will lend its voice both inside and outside Parliament.
This was followed by another impressive performance in Parliament when he spoke on net neutrality. He has taken up the issue, which is making news among the 24.31 crore net users. This was a smart move as ‘Save the Internet’ campaign is catching up. Indian youth are among the most tech-savvy with a total of 11.20 crore Facebook users, nearly 7 crore WhatsApp users and 2.20 crore Twitter Users. India is the second largest smart phone global market. What better way to woo the youth than take up this issue?
Whether he becomes the party president or not challenges are imminent in the coming months. He should continue the new momentum he has created if he is serious about his politics. Rahul is planning a padyatra of the country and perhaps he might try to connect with the people but what would he offer to the people who come to greet him? Mere padyatra will not help, as he also has to come up with solutions like a second Green Revolution.
Secondly he has to chalk out an agenda for himself s well as the party. How long can he continue the role of the angry young man? There are rumours that Rahul will take over as the party’s next president in the next few months when the next AICC session takes place. What are his new ideas of rejuvenating and refurbishing the party? How would he woo the young voters who have voted for Prime Minister Modi? How would he get back the urban middle class and the first time voters? They are not going to be enthused by the ‘congress speak’ of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and what they want is some thing concrete. Will he be able to tap these sections? Urban India is waiting for Modi to deliver what he had promised before the 2014 polls and one year is almost over. They are getting impatient. The question is will Rahul be able to make use of their disenchantment? Only time will tell.
What India needs is a leader in his own right and not his dynastic credentials? Rahul has much more to do than making speeches and undertaking padyatras. He should be a leader who will lend his voice on issues consistently and take up the cause of down trodden and the weak. He also has to spell out his vision for the country, his views on economy, foreign policy and strategic issues. Above all doubts linger whether he will be consistent in his new avatar. On the whole, Rahul has begun well after his return from sabbatical. Who do we give the credit for this new Rahul? Has he transformed himself or is it yet another temporary phase? What gives him confidence?
Could it be that he had rehearsed his new role during the 56 days of sabbatical? Could it be a new speech -writer? Could it be his awareness that he cannot keep the party dangling any ore and he has to take a decision to become 24/7 politician? Again, it is too soon to predict. (IPA)
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