Rahul Gandhi resigned as the president of the Congress party owning responsibility for the poll debacle in the recent parliamentary elections. That’s needed but the Liberal lobby came to the conclusion that he should be replaced. The reason? Shri Ramchandra Guha, the kurupitamaha of Liberals in India, has been voicing his concern over Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and his incapacity to take the party forward, for a longtime. His line (of thinking) is toed now by journalists: Sagarika Ghose, Rajdeep Sardesai and many more.
But they themselves could not find an alternative. Some voiced curiously for Priyanka Vadra, though she proved to be no savior for the aged-party. Her under-performance in the recent elections was kindly attributed to her late entry into the electoral fray by her proponents. It begs a question: who barred her from coming early? The party, undoubtedly, is the fiefdom of the Gandhi family. All through her campaign, the page-3 journalists conducted page-3 programs, eulogizing her sense of wearing cotton sarees and her gait. Her casual talk to the crowd was amplified as oratorical prowess.
In India, with Bharateeya Janata Party at the helm, Politics has become a 24/7 enterprise. It’s pursued with more zeal than ever. For the BJP leaders, Politics is the breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now, the pace of India and the world are enhanced by technology, old Congress ways of laid-back Politics is gone. Entitlement of certain pedigree of certain dynasty would not automatically give power. Rahul Gandhi’s hardship was only four, five months before the elections which is inadequate in all sense of proportion compared to the BJP’S years – long toil.
Admittedly, it’s not only hard work, the sense of direction a party offers to the voters also matters. Rahul Gandhi’s European leanings, made him think that in a country where the poor are more, has to have a Left leaning orientation policies. So to say the NYAY- proposal. That proved to be ambiguous and enigmatic. Next, his promise of repeal of sedition. India has many internal threats. Sedition law, one way works as a deterrent, though successive governments misused in some cases making it somewhat a bad law. There’s nothing wrong in it being in statute books for using it on fissiparous forces that threaten the country.
Rahul Gandhi was amateur to put it in the manifesto to scrap it. Rightly, Anand Sharma admitted the fact that it should not have been incorporated in the manifesto. Similarly, Mr. Sharma also admitted on the promise of the repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA of J&K) to be one such bad proposal to have entered in the Congress’ manifesto. Belated realization! Rahul Gandhi became the prisoner of the Leftist ideology because he was mobbed by the ideologically left youth that spoiled the meagre chances of Congress’ win to dismal.
More than one month of after Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, the Congress which boasts itself a tall party that fought for Independence, could not find an alternative presidential candidate. The likes of Ashok Gehlot, Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh etc. are all old leaders who cannot energize the party or its cadres (if left any). There has been a mass exodus that has been taking from the Congress to the other parties, specially to the BJP, unabated in the South.
The BJP’s efforts are laudatory. The way Amit Shah as the president travelled throughout the length and breadth of the country, is unparalleled. Relatively younger breed: Manish Tiwari, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Shashi Tharoor have no pan India appeal and are also non-committal. Every political party thrives on leadership and the leader’s access to them. That’s the glue for them. The party workers should be heard.
Even a petty worker should have a feeling that he is also cared for and his contribution is also getting recognition. PM Modi and Amit Shah created that feeling that they’re for the party workers and for party welfare entirely. They dedicated their lives for building the party where every worker feels that he is being wanted. It’s difficult for the Congress to surpass this benchmark set by the BJP in near or far future.
The workers in the BJP have an ideological bonding of Hindutva which they make no bones about to mince. What’s the ideology of the Congress (for it) to make people flock? Their secularism is outdated and is branded as “appeasement of minorities”. They cannot please the Hindus on any aspect as they may face wrath of the minorities. The Congress cannot forsake the first (Gandhi) family as it is the only sticking gum for the desperate leaders.
All Liberal journalists want Rahul Gandhi to go. Where does he go? He remains at the front or at the back of the Congress like how Sonia Gandhi remained steering UPA I & II from behind. The ridiculous thing is, all Congress leaders want the Gandhi Parivar to remain active in Politics. They want a titular head as the Congress president who is again a façade for people to see. If some by poll or state poll is won, credit goes to the three Gandhi scions, if lost to the working Congress president (who is a stooge)! Why making someone a scapegoat? Anyway, when the first family is in active politics (as wished by senior Congress leaders) why a name-sake with no powers? That eunuch-kind is the bullshit to hoodwink people.
The Congress first family has not taken to Ashra-Sanyas like Bhishmapitamah. Let Rahul Gandhi be the president from the front instead of calling potshots from back. Sam Pitroda said, Rahul Gandhi is very learned in his estimates. The learned man should have some wisdom. Rahul Gandhi mouths shibboleths on Indian philosophy. Indian philosophy says: success and failure should be taken with equipoise. Cowards do things from behind, brave are heroic and confront head-on. It’s interesting to see what Rahul Gandhi chooses to be, as the Indian democracy needs an opposition although weak. Bravery or cowardice, is the choice before the Congress now.
