Shock rebuffs push Congress to pull out final 'Brahmastras'

 

Old guard finds relevance; Rahul boys cut to size

 

The Congress Party finally might be getting its act together. Gone is Rahul Gandhi's swagger and insouciance. Instead, even he, the hitherto couldn't-care-less dynast of the Congress's controlling family, now realises that his game might be up unless something drastic is done to check the slide. 

Recent shocks in state assembly elections, followed by rebellions and disarray in party units in several states, and the nearness of the big tests in Punjab and UP, seem to have helped Rahul Baba come of age.

There are enough indications to suggest that it has finally dawned on the mother-and-son duo that it cannot be business as usual, especially with the Modi-Shah duo working tirelessly to bring about a Congress-Mukt Bharat. It is this fear of growing irrelevance that has made the Gandhis try and whittle down the power of the coterie around them. 

The two are now more readily available to a much larger pool of party men and well-wishers than was the case before the assembly polls. And in their current state of loss, they are open to fresh ideas.  

Indeed, the Congress's old guard, which was made to feel neglected and unwanted under the growing influence of Rahul Gandhi, seems to have regained some relevance in recent weeks. 

The surprise decision to nominate P. Chidambaram, not anyone's idea of a loyal Congressman, from Maharashtra for the Rajya Sabha and the appointment of Ghulam Nabi Azad as the in-charge of UP, clearly indicate that Rahul Gandhi and his team of apolitical advisers have ceded ground to the more traditional Congress leaders. 

Given the existentialist crisis, there are now growing voices in the party against the formal anointment of Rahul Gandhi as the party chief.

 

Barring the small group which owes its rise in the party to him, virtually everyone else is disappointed with Rahul Gandhi's style of functioning and his total lack of pulling power with the voters. 

If the Gandhis cannot help party candidates win elections, it is no surprise that Congressmen are ready to desert them for rival parties which enjoy widespread support. 

It is in the above context that suggestion was made for Priyanka Gandhi to lead the Congress campaign in UP. Even though she is untested and inexperienced, having only worked for her mother and brother thus far in Rai Bareilly and Amethi, Congress leaders, desperate for a known 'face',  want her to anchor the UP campaign aggressively next year. 

But in the absence of an active grassroots organisation, it is feared that even this supposed 'Brahmastra' might not be of much help. 

But those who are canvassing for Priyanka as a leader in UP also have caste in mind. They believe her induction would persuade Brahmins, who had deserted the party for the BJP, to return to the Congress. 

Brahmins constitute nearly a half of the twenty percent upper castes in UP. Even though the BJP leadership both in UP and at the Centre is in the hands of non-Brahmins, upper castes, including Brahmins, tend to prefer the BJP to other groups such as the SP and the BSP. 

The 'Priyanka Lao, Congress Bachao' school, also reasons that in case she accepts the challenge, a sizable section of Muslims too might vote for the party. Azad's appointment as UP in-charge was also aimed at appealing to the Muslim vote-bank, which seems to swing between SP and BSP in UP, given its ingrained antipathy towards the BJP. 

 

Should Priyanka take the plunge and succeed in enthusing the dormant Congress base, a section of the Muslim vote is likely to swing back to the party.

Whether or not she will accept the challenge is for her to decide. But given the extreme distress the family finds itself in, given the crucial importance of UP for the party especially if it is to retain some relevance ahead of the 2019 general election, Priyanka might still gamble on leading the UP campaign. 

If she can double the Congress tally from the present 28 seats, her foray would be considered a success. And Congressmen would insist on her, rather than on her brother, leading the party at the national level as well. If she fails, the Congress will recede into further irrelevance and along with it the Gandhis would forfeit their claim as the sole legatees of the once great party. 

Meanwhile, her 'delicate' health and the unavoidable focus on her husband's dirty linen will be the countervailing factors against her joining active politics. 

As for her controversial husband, Robert Vadra, a little bird insists he is not only keen for her to take the plunge but is dying to play an active part himself in the campaign in UP. He genuinely seems to believe that he can turn around the fortunes of the party of his in-laws. It is a gamble a desperate Congress might be ready to take in its current state of distress. 

                                           
Jairam Ramesh's latest

Jairam Ramesh, an academic among conventional politicians, has made good use of his time, now that he has been out of power. Last week, he churned out what is his fourth book in the last two years. 

'Old History, New Geography', Ramesh's latest, offers what he calls ‘the context, text and subtext' to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Ramesh, a member of the Rajya Sabha from the old Andhra till the other day, has wisely shifted to Karnataka for another six-year term as an Elder. 

Maybe the governments of the old and new state would do him a favour, buying his book in bulk since it concerns them. That, in turn, will bulk up further Ramesh's bank balance.

 

 

Virendra Kapoor is a Delhi-based journalist. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the views of Asianet Newsable and Asianet Newsable does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.