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Congress' leadership dilemma

Mr Rahul Gandhi''s return to the political field after a long sabbatical just before the resumed Budget session was, in a sense, balm to Congress men and women desperately clutching at straws.

Congress' leadership dilemma


S Nihal Singh

Mr Rahul Gandhi's return to the political field after a long sabbatical just before the resumed Budget session was, in a sense, balm to Congress men and women desperately clutching at straws. And to enthuse his followers, he made several high-decibel speeches in and outside Parliament.
However, it would be overoptimistic to suggest that despite all indications to the contrary, Mr Gandhi has donned the mantle of the consummate politician. What it does indicate is how dependent the Congress is on one family and its continuing belief that only the dynasty can propel its survival after its disastrous showing in the last Lok Sabha election. After all, it was Sonia Gandhi who forsook her grief over her husband Rajiv's assassination to revive the party and gave it a 10-year ruling spell.
As any politician knows, fire and brimstone do not make a savvy politician and although Rahul's interventions in the Lok Sabha twice in three days was a record by his standards, the cut and thrust of debate is a routine aspect of parliamentary life. And dutifully he has stirred out of New Delhi into the wider Indian scene.
The short answer then to Rahul earning his political wings is too early to tell - tell-tale signs of his persona indicate that the political genes that were transmitted through generations of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, including to the Italian wife brought into the family, stopped just short of Rahul. That he is still trying hard is indicative of the moral pressures on him and his desire to do his duty by his mother.
This brings us back to the future of the Congress Party. The loud debate in the party over the advisability of Sonia stating on as party president, rather than hand over the reins to her son to bring about a generational change is a glimpse of opposing factions' interests. In the view of the party apparatchiks, Rahul's previous attempts at reform have been amateurish and foolhardy. He has not selected his youthful advisers with care.
   The Bharatiya Janata Party dispensation, now close to completing one year in office, is running into its first major reverse over the land Bill. This is hardly surprising, given that a ruling party inevitably runs into hurdles. What is surprising is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assisted by his party chief Amit Shah, has proved a deft politician in timing his moves and propagating them. And he has plainly mishandled the promotion of the measure greatly underestimating its repercussions.
On the other hand, Mr Modi has handled his foreign visits, most recently to Europe and Canada, with flair and panache, with their welcome plaudits at home. It seems that his focus on making India an inviting country to invest in got the better of his political instincts. Land and farming are sensitive issues because so many - proportionately too many - depend upon land. While the young in the countryside are anxious to move out and are looking for jobs Mr Modi hopes new industrial units will provide through 'Make in India' projects, the traditional farmer has nowhere to go.
Mr Modi has time to tailor his government and party while the Congress has much catching up to do. That is where Rahul's ability to fulfil his role as the future leader is of crucial importance. While all Congress loyalists believe in the magic quality of the dynasty to bring the party to the winning post, there are growing doubts on Rahul's calibre to perform.
Many would be happy with Sonia's continuance as party president, but such an outcome wards off the day of decision, rather than providing an answer. The passionate pleas to make Sonia's daughter Priyanka the future leader, despite the baggage she carries in the form of her husband, is a symbol of Congressmen's growing dilemma.
Into this traditional mix, a new element has been introduced with new compulsions for the party structure. The fantastic rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi is one expression of the growing army of young aspiring voters, who are both articulate and willing to fight for their causes. To an extent, Mr Modi tapped into this middle class to win his parliamentary majority because he presented himself as a decisive leader after the tired look of the United Progressive Alliance II, hemmed in by constraints of coalition politics and the curious duality of sharing power at the top.
Even as the Congress is battling its inner demons, there are warning lights going up for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). A distinct unease is apparent among the middle class on three scores. One is the distressing frequency of ridiculous ideas from BJP leaders, including MPs, who are then forced to apologise, the other is the primacy the BJP is giving to such issues as extending cow slaughter. The third is the weight of the Rastrya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS') ideology on education policy.
Perhaps the BJP did not believe that it could come to power at the Centre under its own steam. The sterling role of the RSS in making this outcome possible is well known. Now the Sangh Parivar is demanding its pound of flesh. The Modi government is converting mythology into history, promoting RSS members and sympathisers to top posts in historical research and education and tailoring textbooks in schools.
Mr Modi succeeded to an extent in marrying myths to the digital age in Gujarat but is facing major problems in translating it into a national format. Perhaps he himself believes in these myths, having been reared in the RSS ideology. Indeed, he made a major false move in talking about the virtues of plastic surgery and head transplants in ancient India. But he is pragmatic enough to realise his mistake and has not repeated his mistake.
Mr Modi's problems are of a different kind and he has time to resolve them. The Congress Party's dilemmas are more dire and immediate. What if Rahul cannot bear the load that is being imposed on him?

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