FABULOUS FAILURES: Politicians rarely admit mistakes: Time, Rahul Gandhi counts his ERRORS

When things become challenging for any government,  opportunities come at the doorsteps for the opposition.

But the Congress party remains an exception in Indian context of circa 2020 !

It all started with and revolves around an obvious factor. Love of a mother for her son !

Politicians rarely admit mistakes, Rahul Gandhi is no different. Perhaps it is time, the Congress as an organisation make him count the errors he has made in recent past !

The Congress decision on banking yet again on Sonia Gandhi after days of drama of so-called resignation by Rahul Gandhi - after 2019 poll debacle - has exposed the grand old party’s limitation and rather helpless situation when it comes to ‘coming’ out of the shadow of the dynastic politics. But India has moved along - not much keen about the dynastic eyeview. The younger generation is in fact - less and less - influenced by historical factors. But some lessons are never learnt, and that is also part of historical blunders if one could say so!

An Interim Congress chief with two former Cong. chiefs

Sonia Gandhi was herself a Congress president - first plunged into the coveted office by a bloodless coup against Sitaram Kesri and notably both her husband Late Rajiv and son Rahul too have been Congress presidents.

In 2019 after the poll debacle - highly marred by a negative campaign 'Chowkidar Chor hae' sloganeering - Rahul quit. Firstly, who suggested him to do so and secondly and more importantly why he still remains much reluctant to shed powers! In 2013, Sonia had told her son "power is poison". It is more than that !

But these days Rahul Gandhi is busy re-discovering himself trying to pose as a 'TV journalist' --will he be real threats to some of his admiring TV anchors, no one is sure! And that club thinks former Congress chief is brilliant !

According to popular website - which is generally given out for being soft on Congress-led Opposition campaign - "In a way, Rahul Gandhi appears to be doing what European social democrats do after quitting active politics".

Unbelievable?

But in doing so, does he want to show he can speak 'better' English than Narendra Modi ? More importantly, does he still believe he is Modi's chief rival nationally?

On June 12, Rahul interacted with Nicholas Burns !

Apt comes a remark in 'First Post' - "It is the child turning up the volume in his echo chamber. Why else would he pick someone whose only qualifications seem to be front-running the campaign to deny then elected Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi a US visa, regularly taking potshots at India and its PM, and a conspicuous degree of Hinduphobia?"

Another commentary seems to hit the nail straight !

Political analyst Sanjaya Baru, who was also media advisor to former PM Manmohan Singh and who fell out with the Congress party, said, “This was not well-advised. It is like Joe Biden interviewing an Indian diplomat. This is what happens when a political leader depends more on Lutyens’ elite for ideas and advice rather than depend on traditional Congress grassroots." (courtesy News18 website)

Now it is coming out that not many in Congress party too was thrilled with the idea of Burns - at best a cheerleader of Bush era in the US politics - getting some limelight he got obviously due to Modi-Rahul factor in Indian politics.

One normal analytical finding will be the Congress leader is just out of touch from ground reality.

This too is nothing new. In the past we have seen in its excitement to oppose Modi by hook or crook, even with regard the Kashmir policy, the Congress official line has been time and again close to what Pakistani leaders and fake Twitter handlers are dishing out. Rahul claimed he knows the 'DNA' of India and that one missing link in 'Modi's New India' is TOLERANCE.

The debate about Tolerance too is tried and tested formula. To an extent it had helped anti-Modi forces in 2015 in Bihar but the juggernaut had stopped at that. Even a well perceived 'unpopular' Demonetisation in 2016 and the GST - with lot of paper works and red-tapism - could not be exploited by the Congress and other opposition parties in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. 

Now follow this Twitter remark by a commoner and one would easily understand that ultra-Leftist philosophy and opportunists and self-seeking Urban Naxals would not allow Rahul Gandhi understand the 'ground reality' of India ! The 'DNA' as he put it !!

"Rahul said: India and USA are becoming intolerant because he is Anti-Modi as well as Anti-India.But Nicholas Burns replied, USA is not because he is Anti-Trump not Anti-USA.Understand the difference" - tweeted one Om Prakash Gupta and his profile snap and fascination for Suresh Raina suggests the person would be much younger to Rahul. 

By the by - Rahul Gandhi will turn 50 on June 19. 

In last two decades, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party have turned virtual assets for Narendra Modi and it goes to political maturity and shrewdness of the Prime Minister that he is in a commanding situation today - with or without Covid-19.

The coronavirus crisis has exposed shortcomings in government apparatus and country's health care system and in all likelihood the incumbent regime and the Prime Minister should feel the 'heat' --- but despite so called "failures" creating a space for opposition parties,  they stand totally ill-prepared to take on Modi. 

Rahul's 'TV-interview model of politics' cannot go a long way specially when the Indian public cannot find the issues relevant!

Didi Model of Body Disposal 

It has been really "symptomatic of the state of affairs in the opposition camp" in India that the parties find themselves unable to get an answer to one of the most pressing questions. How to deal with Narendra Modi?

Recently, BSP supremo Mayawati, a Dalit leader with substantial base in India's most populated state of Uttar Pradesh, was unhappy when Rahul Gandhi posted a photograph of his sitting with some migrants - when they had taken to roads due to lockdown.

This was around the time all major opposition parties were planning to meet in Delhi to draw a joint strategy on how to deal with Modi visa-a-vis his government's handling of the corona crisis. Rahul was accused by Mayawati of enacting drama for scoring brownie points. 

Observers like Tushar Bhadra in Modi's constituency Varanasi say most opposition parties except the communists in India "lack organisational" backing. "When parliamentary wings dominate party organisation and that party is not in power, there is actually no party organisation too," he says.

This is Congress party's main problem and Rahul Gandhi or for that matter even Sonia Gandhi at later stage failed to inject the much necessary vibrant dynamism in party's organisation.

The opposition or Rahul Gandhi and his ilk should also realise that there are other regional players - with support base and also ambitions. But none among Uddhav Thackeray, K Chandrashekhar Rao and Mamata Banerjee - three incumbent Chief Ministers or the likes ofN Chandrababu Naidu and Sharad Pawar can match Modi's charishma. 

More importantly, in terms of governance - how much joke a section try to make out of 'Gujarat model' - the Bengal model is a pathetic one which Bengali intellectuals try to look the other way. A Bengali friend had called me from Kolkata to underline that 'migrants' row will pose a serious crisis for Modi and also that nothing is true about what Sanghi guys were talking about Tablighi conference.

Same pattern is seen in Maharashtra too. A friend of mine - a journalist and a capable one in the western Indian state - has lately turned a big time fan of Uddhav Thackeray and more of his 'virtuous 2' son Aditya - 30 year old. First sickular virtuous son - of course - is Rahul Gandhi !!

Why my friend suddenly finds merits in whatever Uddhav Thackeray and his team say? Is it a coincidence that the Shiv Sena is heading a regime which is now identified with the 'sickular' politics?

Undoubtedly, Modi remains a formidable challenger as a mass leader and an ear-on-ground politician who can take 'decisive corrective steps' fast. Just as Covid19 Crisis caught up, Modi donned the 'reformer' hat ! Thus, the Congress organisation machinery needs to be set upright - toned up - and Congress or Rahul Gandhi has to find an effective answer to Modi's power as a good orator. And his sense of timing too.

Modi will never discuss Tolerance with a former US diplomat when the country is talking about Covid-19 crisis!

ends