Rahul’s return

THE reinstatement of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha MP is a morale booster not only for his party but also for the newly formed Opposition alliance, INDIA. Three days after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in the ‘Modi surname’ defamation case, Rahul returned to Parliament on Monday. He is expected to be a key Opposition speaker during the upcoming debate on the no-confidence motion against the PM Modi-led NDA government. The relentless mayhem in Manipur has prompted the Opposition to up the ante against the Centre, even though the motion is set to fail as the NDA is on firm ground in terms of numbers in Parliament.

Though INDIA has several senior leaders in its ranks, including Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee, it’s Rahul who is emerging as the face of the Opposition. His Bharat Jodo Yatra, during which he made efforts to connect with the masses, gave him high visibility across the country. Rahul has also been quick to confront the Union Government and PM Modi on any issue, be it religious polarisation, inflation or the Adani-Hindenburg row. However, the fact that he lacks experience of governance might hamper his prospects of becoming the Opposition’s consensus candidate for the PM’s post in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Buoyed by its success in the Karnataka Assembly elections in May, the Congress is hoping to retain power in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, which go to the polls later this year along with Madhya Pradesh. The electoral outcomes in these states, where the Congress is pitted against the BJP, will have a bearing on next year’s parliamentary battle. The twin challenges for Rahul are to maintain the Congress’ momentum and coalesce the Opposition parties into a viable alternative to the BJP-led NDA. A lot will depend on whether the constituents of INDIA are able to rise above their differences.