The best part about Rahul Gandhi is that he has so far avoided getting into dicey situations, mostly because he has kept Congressmen and indeed the entire party at arms length I am not here to blame anyone. I am not interested in that. I have to see how we can improve things After such a long wait, Rahul Gandhi has finally given a "green-signal" that he is ready to accept an organizational responsibility in the Congress party. What reflects his bold approach is his willingness to take up the most difficult assignment of Congress politics - revival of the party in Uttar Pradesh. "I am ready to take the responsibility of leading the party in the state if the high command so desires. If the central leadership gives me the responsibility, I can turn around the fortunes of the party in the state," Rahul Gandhi told reporters in Rae Bareli where he is overseeing the poll campaign of his mother. There were expectations about Rahul Gandhi taking up a formal role after the Hyderabad plenary session in October. The loyalists had hoped that he would accept the post of General Secretary, which would automatically give him a seat in the topmost decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC). However, Rahul Gandhi turned down the request from his partymen, saying that he needed more time to "learn". Rahul Gandhis decision to stake his political prestige on UP has come as a surprise to many as numerically preponderant sections have not been showing any inclination to gravitate towards the Congress. According to sources in the party, the decision to make him in-charge of Rae Bareli campaign was aimed at giving him a first-hand feel of electioneering. Of late, he has been meeting party workers from different states on a regular basis to understand the party organization and create his independent network of information. "The best part about Rahul Gandhi as a politician is that he has so far avoided getting into dicey situations, mostly because he has kept Congressmen and indeed the entire party at arms length. Rather sensibly he has built an aura of remoteness around himself, which the average Congress leader finds difficult to breach," pointed out renowned political expert, Dr. Suvkrokmal Dutta. There is a strong possibility that after Dr. Manmohan Singh had successfully performed as Prime Minister for five years, the baton would be passed on to young Rahul. But before the family can reclaim the throne for one of its own, the Congress has to be restored in the voters mind as a party of responsible governance. Hence, the supreme importance of Dr. Manmohan Singh! The "charismatic leader" tag associated with Rahul Gandhi is delicately predicated on the assumption that he will garner votes for the party in the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Even though the Congress model of family rule is being sought to be replicated in many other parties, the Nehru-Gandhi family itself has to rediscover the magic. It is worth recalling that in May 2004, despite Sonia Gandhis presence in Rae Bareli and Rahul Gandhis candidature in Amethi, the family connection did not produce votes and victory for Satish Sharma in the adjacent Sultanpur Lok Sabha constituency. The Rahul-magic can work in UP but only in places where the party has a reasonably decent organization. Without such an organizational presence, the Rahul-magic is not sufficient to make the critical difference. Interestingly, Rahul has little faith in local party leaders. It is evident from the fact that "rank outsiders" have been appointed in-charge of the five Assembly segments constituting the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat. A Kashmiri, a South Indian and a Maharashtrian have been assigned to woo voters in the Hindi heartland. However, a section of party leaders attribute the selection of outsiders as the in-charge of various Assembly constituencies to the wisdom of Rahul Gandhi and accept the move to keep rivalry among local leaders at bay. When Vipin Agnihotri asked Rahul Gandhi about the poor condition of Congress in UP, he said: "I am not here to blame anyone. I am not interested in that. I have to see how we can improve things." Rahul Gandhi believes in leading from the front. "The work of a leader is never finished. He cannot say he has arrived. A leader may reach goal A, but again there is goal B. A lot needs to be done. You may often come across a leader saying I have achieved this, but a leaders task is never-ending. This is what I feel is lacking at present," pointed out Rahul. He wants to mould himself as an honest politician. "Somehow politicians nowadays have a problem of telling people what they really believe. I will be a politician who would not be having any problem with truth," Rahul said. But Rahul will have to work very hard to achieve something for Congress in the upcoming assembly elections in UP. Theoretically speaking, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been able to grow beyond its dalit constituency and the past elections have showed its ability to win over even the upper castes, which is clearly not a good sign for Congress and Rahul. In addition, the OBCs, who have been controlling the levers of power for the past two years, have developed a vested interest in sticking with Samajwadi Party and Mulayam Singh Yadav. Also, the efforts to win over Muslims, who account for an impressive 14 per cent is not going to be a cakewalk for Rahul, as Mulayam Singh Yadav has been quite successful in ramming in the point that their interests are safer only with his party, the Samajwadi Party. But the Congress leadership is still upbeat over the fact that Rahul Gandhis announcement will create some new political dimensions in the most populous state of the country. That, only time will decide. But one thing is for sure, the Prince is in for a tough ride. |
