At the precise hour when the Congress party’s graph has started rising from a low, here comes a booster dose. The decision of the Congress leadership to introduce Priyanka Gandhi as general secretary of the party that her brother Rahul Gandhi now leads from the front is bound to inspire the rank and file of the party that found itself in parched lands since 2014. This comes at a time when the countdown has begun for the next Parliamentary polls to elect a new government at the Centre by mid-2019.
Clearly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is seen to enjoy the largest clout as a leader will have a tough time reinventing his leadership at a time when the political winds are seen turning against the BJP — as was evident in the loss of three Hindi-belt states over and above the upsets the saffron party had taken in Gujarat and Karnataka assembly polls. To add to Modi’s and the BJP’s predicament, NDA ally Shiv Sena has made it clear that it would support the BJP at the next polls only if it projected Maharashtra politician and Union roads minister Nitin Gadkari as its next PM nominee, instead of Modi.
Forty-seven-year-old Priyanka Gandhi is bound to draw large crowds if she enters the campaign scene, just as her grandmother Indira Gandhi did. This is going to happen for real, even though she has now been given charge of only eastern Uttar Pradesh. Knowing the electorate’s mood as we do, chances are that she would draw more crowds than her brother can. In the end, this could lead to a situation in which the family ends up putting its weight behind Priyanka, over and above Rahul Gandhi. Notably, Indira Gandhi had functioned as president of AICC when Jawaharlal Nehru was PM. That led to her induction in the Union ministry after Nehru’s demise, and eventual elevation as PM.
Clearly, the Congress rank and file had their own reservations about the leadership profile of Rahul Gandhi even as mother Sonia made sure he was made the party chief. If the Congress with its UPA allies wins the next LS polls, Priyanka might stand a better chance to be PM. There are issues, for real, though; and Priyanka’s road to leadership is paved with thorns. The shadow of her husband, controversial realtor Robert Vadra, hangs heavy on her. The BJP’s target now will not only be Priyanka but Vadra too.