Rahul Gandhi remains a paradox even after being in politics for nearly two decades. He seems to have acquired no gravitas as a parliamentarian over four terms, a prime example being his awkward, seemingly unprepared speech this week during the no-confidence motion debate. He has also shown little aptitude for either learning organisational skills required to rebuild his dormant Congress party or developing diplomatic dexterity like his mother Sonia to build bridges with other parties and their leaders to form a larger alliance to oust the Narendra Modi regime. The no-longer-so-young Gandhi scion still appears to be a political novice despite being in the thick of the turbulence that has engulfed both his party and the country over all these years.
Yet, when it comes to interacting at informal meetings with ordinary folk, both old and young, men and women, Rahul has displayed remarkable people skills, charming his audience as a leader with a difference who is genuinely interested in engaging with them at a personal level on their problems. This was most evident during his Bharat Jodo Yatra when he scored enormous political brownie points by walking through the country through cities, towns, and villages mingling and chatting with people on the road. Ironically, perhaps it is the Congress leader’s apolitical nature, clearly a handicap in Parliament and party politics, that appeals to the masses who have come to distrust quintessential Indian netas and their fake rhetoric from the podium over the years.
This split personality poses a piquant dilemma both for the Congress and the opposition as they prepare for the national elections less than a year away. On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi is an obvious liability with his inadequate oratory and his inability as well as disclination to negotiate with his own party colleagues as well as regional leaders – two essential attributes of a major political leader. At the same time, he has emerged particularly after his padayatra across India as the only opposition politician who has a national appeal in public perception and a symbol of a different kind of politics that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his home minister Amit Shah represent.
It will be a daunting task for the hastily put-together INDIA bloc that hopes to prevent a third term for Mr Modi to hide Rahul’s weaknesses while playing to his strengths. For instance, the reinstatement by the Supreme Court of the Congress leader’s parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha in time to participate in the no-confidence motion debate this week instead of being a triumph turned out to be a handicap. Not only was there little evidence of a concerted coordinated effort by the opposition to at least corner the government even though the latter had ensured there was no danger to its survival. To compound matters Rahul Gandhi’s own speech was a huge disappointment – first meandering on his Bharat Jodo Yatra, then ranting and raving about how the BJP had murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur, and finally making frivolous gestures like thumbs-up signs and blowing flying kisses after ending what should have been the launch of the 2024 opposition election campaign.
Indeed, while the Prime Minister’s own long-winded speech was his usual exercise in filibustering, he did have a point when he asked the opposition to be better prepared the next time they brought a no-confidence motion against his government. If opposition parties neither had the numbers nor an adequate strategy to embarrass the regime it would have been better to have raised a furore on burning issues like the ethnic civil war in Manipur or the communal riots in Haryana instead of bringing a no-confidence motion that served little purpose. As for Rahul Gandhi who was clearly unprepared for being reinstated in Parliament on the eve of the no-confidence motion, it would have been far better not to make a full-fledged speech but limit himself to a brief intervention saying that since Parliament although supposedly representative of the people’s voice appeared to have got disconnected from the masses, he would hit the road again to be in direct contact with them.
Much of the problem emanates from the Congress leadership including Sonia Gandhi who continue to insist that Rahul play the old-style role of a political leader leading the charge of an election campaign and directly lock horns with the Prime Minister. This not only irks many regional satraps who have joined the INDIA bloc but also suits the BJP which knows that Mr Modi with his aura of invincibility would make short work of a political greenhorn on an electoral battlefield. The Gandhi family and the Congress may get even more ambitious in this one-on-one presidential-style contest if the party wins the coming state assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and possibly even Rajasthan which is a real possibility.
This would be a big mistake. It is likely to disrupt the coherence of the opposition alliance put together by the conciliatory and affable Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and help the BJP to isolate Rahul Gandhi as the prime target in the elections instead of fighting a series of regional battles where the ruling party is at a disadvantage. Both the Congress and the opposition must find a way to orchestrate a multi-pronged battle pricking the BJP where it is weak, leaving Rahul free to traverse a parallel path preaching his message of love, unity, and the need for political change.
The writer is a Delhi-based political commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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