Page 21 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018

CoverStory presidential polls

he Congress plenary session, with a anti-BJP parties and for Rahul to emerge as a natural
fiery speech of Congress President leader targeting BJP’s 2014 pith of “acche din”. So has
Rahul Gandhi, gave clear indications of Rahul Gandhi now truly come of age? Or is he still a
an epic battle ahead. By likening the BJP prisoner of fabled Congress party’s dynastic legacy?
to Kauravas and the Congress to Pan- Or an evolved politician keen to change India by in-
T davas, Rahul sought to set the agenda volving the young in politics? The recently conclud-
for the next election. The analogy from the Mahab- ed Congress Plenary Session after his one-man show
harata conveyed that the forthcoming general elec- in Gujarat gave enough indications that he has been
tion would be like the fight between Kauravas and able to successfully shed the tag of an elitist leader
Pandavas. The latter were small in number but on and ‘cameo activist’.
the right side. Rahul Gandhi was aggressive, mocked His recent forays show that Rahul Gandhi, the
at the BJP’s role in the freedom struggle, ridiculed the president of the grand 132-year-old party, is try-
alleged crony capitalism and the corrupt with refer- ing to capture the imagination of the masses and
ences from Hindu mythology and compared the possible allies. At the plenary session, he was able
BJP’s ‘arrogance’ with that of the Kauravas and called to define Congress’ strategy for the next general
himself a Pandava. election showing need for a joint front. The new
leadership’s plans to harness political creativity,
Fierce Fights ahead connect to the digitally conscious and create greater
This also showed that we are headed for one of the inner party inclusivity were there for every one to
fiercest and most bitter electoral battles. Earlier see. The Congress party’s battle plans seem to be Is Rahul an evolved leader
when Sonia Gandhi laid table for Opposition parties’ forging alliance with parties sans their ideological keen to change India by
dinner, it had all the ingredients for Congress’ revival differences to exploit the BJP’s shrinking base of al- involving the young in politics?
under Rahul Gandhi when she said that the contest lies. The most defining moments of Rahul Gandhi’s
will be over the ‘Idea of India’ and the style of the pre- political career came when he shed his reticence
sent government. Would India make peace with the and came out of his mother Sonia Gandhi’s shad-
culture of fear and intimidation, vigilante mobs, and ows making her observe: “He is now my boss too. Let
the mocking of scientific temper? She questioned there be no doubt about that”. It was a strategic state- rahul focused on policies. The party’s four resolutions — political, econom-
much to the discomfiture of the BJP after losses in ment to galvanize party workers to make them rally ic, foreign affairs and on ‘agriculture, unemployment
the recent by-polls. Now, Rahul Gandhi is positioning around Rahul Gandhi. youth and farmers - and poverty alleviation’ sought to address concerns of
himself as the Prime Minister’s primary challenger On his part at the plenary session, Rahul made a various sections of society. The party president, in his
with the support of like-minded parties. Personal significant statement that the Congress had failed to two sections that are concluding speech, focused on youth and farmers — two
attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP rise to the expectations of the people and might have sections that are perceived to be getting disenchanted
President Amit Shah make it clear that Congress will committed mistakes. The idea was to underline the with the Modi government and represent a vast section
run a relentless campaign and try to put the Modi humility of the new boss pitted against Prime Min- perceived to be getting of the population.
government on the defensive on various issues. ister Modi and the BJP. The Congress made a strenu- That Rahul Gandhi is in full command was visible,
ous effort to energise its workers for the electoral disenchanted with the as he has also started building his new team. Resigna-
BJP’s invinciBility under Modi battles ahead at the party plenary pitching itself as tions have begun in the party. There were reports that
All said, much would depend on the outcome of the the real alternative to BJP while also expressing its Modi government and actor-politician Raj Babbar has been asked to continue
verdict in states going to the polls this year — Karna- willingness to cooperate with like-minded parties to on his post till the party elects a new state unit chief.
taka first and Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya unseat the Modi government in the 2019 Lok Sabha represent a vast section Babbar’s case points to this nervousness in the old guard
Pradesh later this year. The invincibility of the BJP elections. of the party after Rahul formally took over as Congress
has come under the scanner in the recent by-elec- To his party workers, Rahul Gandhi has promised of the population chief. Congress party’s worst performance in the recent
tions in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress Plenary Session to address their complaints that well-connected Lok Sabha by-polls to Gorakhpur earlier represented
took place at a time when efforts were underway leaders often “parachute” down at the time of ticket by chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Phulpur, rep-
to forge a third front of parties opposed to BJP as allocation at the cost of genuine, dedicated workers. resented by his deputy, has reportedly irked the party
also the Congress. When Telangana Chief Minister He wants to make party leaders more accessible to ent format with Rahul saying he had kept the stage emp- president. Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki
K. Chandrasekhar Rao mooted a non-BJP and non- workers by breaking the ‘walls’ and giving more tick- ty for talented youth from within the party and outside. is also believed to have tendered his resignation to the
Congress front, he found immediate support from ets to the youth. It is a fact that the Congress Party’s Only those delivering speeches went up to the stage to do central leadership of the party. Reports suggest that
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, but many state units are plagued by factionalism with so from the podium. several top leaders of the party may quit in the days to
it also showed its vulnerability because it is not the leaders owing allegiances to the old order. Rahul had come. Earlier, Goa Congress president Shantaram Naik
coming together of all like-minded parties. Mamata’s to indicate that he would enforce discipline so that Forging alliances resigned from his post, saying he was “inspired” by
Trinamool Congress and Rao’s Telangana Rashtra the party’s effort at winning elections was not weak- Under Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party’s political reso- Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the party plenary about
Samiti (TRS) of course have little in common, other ened in any way. lution talked of adopting a pragmatic approach for co- making way for younger leaders. Naik, 71, is the first senior
than an antipathy to the BJP and the Congress. This Another change that one could notice was that operation with all like-minded parties and evolving a Congress leader to resign after Rahul Gandhi announced
leaves good space for the Congress to engage with all the “worker-centric” gathering was held in a differ- common workable programme to defeat the BJP-RSS in in his concluding speech that he wants to give the
the next general election to reverse the BJP’s economic younger generation a chance to come forward and

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