By Indranil Banerjea
Congressmen believe that Priyanka and Rahul complement each other perfectly — needless to add that each is considered by their respective supporters and fans to be perfection incarnate individually — and will surely bring home the 2014 trophy. The catch is that the players have hardly had any time (or shown least inclination) to practice and prepare for the crucial game.
The change in strategy in the middle of the muddle has only succeeded in sending mixed signals to the voter spectators. Does this mean that the Congress high command has realised that Rahul alone is incapable of delivering the required majority in the Lok Sabha? Does he really have the charisma that can work its magic against all odds? Haven’t the recent state assembly elections provided the conclusive proof (if one more was needed) that the heir apparent has no connect with the masses and has a cold abrasive image that a multi-million dollar campaign may fail to dent or paint in time.
Priyanka, we are told, is a “natural” communicator and bonds with masses much better. She has a striking resemblance with her late grandmother and effortlessly inspires confidence in her audiences. To this list, Janardan Dwivedi has now added a few hitherto hidden gems — “she has always been an active member of the party who also has original ideas about Indian politics that she has been sharing with fellow Congress members from time to time.” Does this mean that the impeccable credentials of Rahul to be the prime claimant for PM’s post pale into insignificance in a blink? To be fair to him, he doesn’t carry the unbearable baggage of a heavyweight spouse.
Priyanka may indeed have been working silently and significantly behind the scenes and saving the sinking ship — toiling far below the top deck where the brother is visible (sporadically) bellowing commands at underlings or pouring over charts trying to steer the leaky vessel through choppy waters as storms gather — but at present, not many aboard can afford to shift their gaze away from the few lifeboats.
A single scabbard, as the adage has it, can’t house two swords. Even the Kremlin has never accommodated two Tsars at the same time. Kingship recognises no kinship and so on. To our mind, what the Congress does or doesn’t is of little concern to the nation. It can keep proclaiming its venerable age — more than a century and a quarter — but not many recognise it as the same creature that was born in 1885. For most Indians, it ceased to be a political party long ago and metamorphosed into a swollen pocket burrow for one family. Dynasty, not democracy, is most visible in its DNA.
It is nauseating that most of debate and discussion focused on Congress is confined to these “personalities” — scions of what is sycophantically referred to as the First Family in Indian politics. No one within the party seems to have any time for issues and ideology. It is believed to be self-evident that Congress alone can safeguard secularism and ensure economic progress. Not even repeated shock therapy of electoral results and outbursts of public anger has succeeded in breaking the stupor induced by denial. It is not only the hapless prime minister who has suffered a total loss of credibility. The entire party — leadership, rank and file — stands tarnished (without a fig leaf to hide its shame) battered by dozens of scams and scandals.
The “filmy” rise of AAP owes much to the contribution made to its cause. Narendra Modi too has reasons to thank the same benefactors. He struts the stage as a superman when compared to the men of straw and puppets in the Congress. For the common man, corruption is far more real than an abstraction like secularism. For victims of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, the issue of reservation for minorities is a cruel joke. The studied silence of the twin hopes of the Congress party on matters of vital national interest continues to bewilder their compatriots. It isn’t very likely that any feline — secular or communal — will change its spots between now and April 2014. Nor is the wise Indian voter likely to change its mind.
It is quite common a sight — Congress shooting itself in the foot just after bringing it out of its mouth — but now we are about to be treated to a rare performance: a simultaneous self-triggered double barrelled blast at both feet! Priyanka and Rahul to jointly spearhead the Congress campaign can only result in a calamitous double fault. Fortunately, what threatens to be a disaster for the Indian National Congress is likely to prove a blessing in disguise for the nation. INAV