“The Congress base in shrinking…,” an ‘overconfident’ L K Advani had said on the eve of elections in 2004. But when the results poured in on May 13, 2004; it was 'Sonia Shining' instead. BJP's Loh Purush crumbed.
The same year, Rahul Gandhi was elected to Parliament for the first time. He took up responsibility in the party organisation. In 2009, Sonia again created history as economist Dr Manmohan Singh was preferred choice of Indians -- who all rejected Advani's claim to the big spot. Political acumen of Sonia Gandhi came in for much appreciation.
Some years latee she has created history by becoming the longest serving chief of the organization; once led by her towering in-laws Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and husband Rajiv Gandhi. Her political baptism could be reluctant and punctuated with immense personal tragedies as she had lost her beloved husband by then; but political watchers say her ascendancy as the party president was almost a coup.
She ensured exit of Sitaram Kesri. 'Madam 2' returned and despite language demerits, she managed to run the party well. Of course she was assisted by Ahmed Patel, a Gujarati Muslim politician with friends and associates practically in all parties.
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| 'An Indian mom: Trusted mother more than daughter' |
In Circa 2024, we are yet again discussing Sonia Gandhi's political acumen. And if reports reaching us are correct, she was perhaps right as the decision to boycott Jan 22 Ram Mandir consecration had actually boomeranged on the grand old party.
If it was a trap by Narendra Modi, the Congress walked into it -- that's the calculation of all permutation and combination as of now. Rahul Gandhi has already problems in entering a temple in BJP-ruled Assam. What will happen to such plans in other BJP-ruled states?
The day, Rahul was denied entry into the temple, onetime Congress leader turned Amit Shah's trusted soldier, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said rather acidly -- "Ram Rajya". The message being, well gentleman if you do not want to visit Ram temple, you need not visit any other temple.
'Bharat Jodo Yatra-2' is a fiasco !!
Grapevine is Sonia tried to reason with her two children and also the likes of K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and AICC president Kharge that -- "let us accept the invitation..one of us can go and I want to tell you that in 1999 when Kumbh was there, I also took a holy dip".
Her argument was -- such a bath did not affect our Muslim votes an instead I could add or win over some of those disgruntled Hindu voters. But the South Indian lobby and Rahul's own fascination with the NGO-operation style 'ultra Leftists' approach made all the difference.
Fact check, on January 24, 2001, Sonia Gandhi, as the president of the Congress party, took a holy dip at Allahabad during the Kumbh Mela.
Analysts say Sonia chose to make a twin statement by taking the holy dip at Triveni, trying to hush up the row about her 'foreign origins' and showcasing a liberal-moderate alternative to the Sanghparivar’s brand of Hindutva.
Pictures of Sonia Gandhi taking a dip, performing Ganga puja, Ganpati puja, Kul Devta puja and Triveni puja were widely circulated in an era IT was at an infant stage and 'social media' had not emerged.
Ironically, this facet in her political graph is almost forgotten from public memory. A good lesson for those in political and public life is very often one has to do certain things -- either voluntarily or by appreciating the political pulse of the common people.
The problem with Rahul Gandh has been -- he has an immense sense of 'entitlement'. The unspoken refrain being -- "What public mood.... we decided we will not go...we have to stick to it".
Politics is also about quick learning and quicker corrective steps. This is something Modi is 'good' at and Rahul thinks (probably) -- why should I.
Now in retrospect, even her worst critic would agree that Sonia Gandhi has held the Congress party together amid challenges and repeated non performance by Rahul.
Do not forget, the political pundits had almost written off both herself and her party but in 2004, she showed, miracles do happen in politics.
Lack of Options: An old problem haunts Congress largely due to a mom's 'blind love' for son !!
In August 2019, Congress enacted a drama and made Sonia Gandhi their interim president. This came after 38 days of Rahul Gandhi's resignation. He had quit owning moral responsibility for party's defeat in 2019 polls.
The BJP reacted initially saying it was Congress party’s internal matter but said the move was "hardly" surprising and showed total lack of options in the Congress party. The BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said, "....it should not be forgotten that in 2014 the Congress party was diminished miserably".
Malviya had told a private television news channel, "Let us not forget that Sonia Gandhi was president of Congress for 19 years and Congress was diminished significantly under her leadership".
"....and to have her back again really talks about the lack of option in Congress party," he has said.
There was another sarcastic tweet from BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya, who tweeted stating: "To Congress with love....,”. However, the missive had a brief video with the protagonist in it saying, "Tum log Zindagi bhar Ma-bete ki Ghulami karte rahego (Entire your life you people - that is rest of Congress leaders - will behave as a slave to the mother-son duo)".
The Congress decision on banking back yet again on Sonia Gandhi after 38 days drama of so called resignation by Rahul Gandhi had exposed the grand old party’s rather 'helplessness' when it comes to coming out of the shadow of the dynastic politics.
Nothing much has changed.
What's Nitish up to ?? Fresh rift surfaces between JD-U and RJD ::::: 'Bharat Ratna' for Karpoori Thakur was 'Namo message' ??
Why Nitish Kumar is on his 'Paltu Ram' mode again?
The tension between JD(U) and RJD, who have shared an uneasy alliance since 2022, has been simmering for some time.
The speculation gained momentum after Kumar, who has attracted the sobriquet 'Paltu Ram' from his detractors for frequently switching his alliance partners, met Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar earlier this week, with former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi saying 'Khela Hobe' (something will happen).
Nitish Kumar has taken multiple U-turns in the past. In 2013 after Narendra Modi was made PM-candidate of BJP, Nitish Kumar severed years old ties with the BJP and joined hands with the RJD and Congress.
He defeated BJP in 2015 assembly polls, but after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he once again joined hands with the BJP in 2020 and ensured his continuance as the chief minister.
Two years later, he broke ties with the BJP and formed a government with the RJD and Congress.
He took initial steps for bringing 'an opposition unity' but is upset with Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee for proposing the name of Congress president Malliarjun Kharge as chairman of I.N.D.I alliance. Kumar was expecting 'convener' post for himself. Apparently, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav is also against giving any 'enhanced' role for Nitish in the opposition alliance and hence politics is going this far.
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| 'Come, and meet me at my Haveli' |
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