Priyanka Gandhi: The future of the Congress Party

For the beleaguered Congress Party, there seems to be very little good news. Their leader Rahul Gandhi has failed to capture the imagination of the general public. Their ploy to woo the ‘secular’ Muslim vote was not meted with much enthusiasm. Their current PM is an unmitigated disaster and one who has not only lowered himself but lowered the PMO by his fecklessness. Their leaders such as P Chidambaram are not contesting elections and there are rumors to suggest that those who are contesting are doing so with the utmost reluctance. Finally, their chief rival Narendra Modi whom they have spent years demonizing in various ways is going strong and has strong support among the people and social media.

Rahul Gandhi started out being the ‘next big thing’ and continued to remain that for quite some time. But whenever he appears for an interview such as his talk with Arnab or merely delivers a speech, he cannot help but cause considerable embarrassment for himself and his party. There may be moments when his speeches are well written but his perpetually befuddled demeanor, his uncanny ability to interrupt his own sentences, and his general tone of uncertainty makes it sound like a schoolboy who dozing on the backbench when he was asked to read a text from a chapter but is not quite sure of the what the text is and if sounds that he is producing is actually correct. But such is the party structure, that despite several better speakers, it is this bungling prince that has to be the face of the party. Thus he goes places and speaks, his face is plastered all over the place but secretly many are laughing. They say the jokes about any leader tell you what the people are thinking about. In Rahul’s case, the jokes are usually about him being either childish or slow-witted. I almost suspect that Rahul Gandhi himself is not entirely desirous of what he is being forced to do but realizes that he has no option.

With their leader in bad shape, the congress and the people around them realize that in all this disarray even modestly good news, becomes cause for celebration and this modestly good news came to the form of Priyanka Gandhi. She started by launching an attack on the BJP and then on its PM candidate Narendra Modi. Among her attacks included claims that the BJP was behaving like 'panicky rats', she also said that India needed a leader with a large heart, not a 56-inch chest, she defended her husband and played victim for ‘relentless attacks’ and finally, she compared her brother to Rajiv Gandhi who she asserted was a great visionary and who laid his life for the unity of the country.  Interestingly there were not attacks on AAP either because it isn’t a factor anymore or is something cooking between the two of them?

Another interesting point to note is how various Congress people are trying to portray her as a re-incarnation of Indira Gandhi, who is here to set things correct. Pictures have been circulated that have her in direct comparison with Indira Gandhi in her countenance. But the truth is Indira Gandhi was a factor perhaps 30 years ago and that comparison may resonate with die-hard supporters but nothing much beyond that. 

The ravenous media who is waiting for the next ‘big story’ lapped it up with great eagerness. They covered her speeches, her handshakes with common folks, her handshakes with AAP works, her patting people on the shoulders and on the back. They showed her being able to interact with the common folk. It is undeniable that she is relaxed on stage and has an easy delivery that is peppered with humor and a constant smile on her face and she is light years ahead of her brother (who isn’t the brightest bulb on the planet) with it comes to her communications skills.

So should she be taken seriously? If you are a good speaker, launching a brutal attack on your opponent is the easiest thing to do, but we take them seriously only when the person speaking is of some credibility or achievement.

Let’s take a quick look at the background of Priyanka Gandhi:

·         There are strong allegations that her husband Robert Vadra is involved in many shady dealings.

·         She has never contested elections

·         She has never held any official position in the Congress Party

·         She had has been involved in campaigns but nothing more than that

All this probably makes her nothing more than a Sanjay Jha. Good on attack, low on credibility and fact.  She would have coasted through stronger had her brother done a good job in developing the place but one look at the situation in the Gandhi stronghold Amethi will dispel all notions of development. There is no proper infrastructure or basic necessities such as proper electricity or clean drinking water have been ignored as well.

During the campaign in 1999, Priyanka spoke to the BBC in which she said: "I am very clear in my mind. Politics is not a strong pull, the people are. And I can do things for them without being in politics". She went on to add "I have said it a thousand times; I am not interested in joining politics..."

But in politics there are no absolute truths, she can easily claim that she is in a place where she desires to be in active politics. But to gain any credibility, she will have to formally join the party, formally run for elections, involve herself with people at the grass-root level, and achieve something that is beyond her famous surname.  The advent of social media has dispelled the myth of the ‘first family’ aura, the only way to win people’s hearts is doing some solid good work which is infinitely more difficult than giving speeches.

Will Priyanka Gandhi do so or will she be content being the flavor of the month? Time will tell.