Rahul Gandhi’s back. What next for Congress?

It is important for Rahul Gandhi to be strategically wise, and not suck out all the air from the Opposition room, by allowing a Narendra Modi vs Rahul Gandhi narrative.

Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi is back with a bang as his membership of Parliament has been restored. The scenes that followed on August 7 in Parliament House suggested the return of a conquering hero and this does seem to be the beginning of another innings in public life for Gandhi.

He is no longer the reluctant dynast or the fumbling president of the Congress. Instead, from the start of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7 to the disqualification as MP on March 24 and to now his return, his image has been enhanced. 

It has also been noted that he has remained steadfast about certain core issues that other members of the I.N.D.I.A alliance have compromised on. The most significant has been his rhetoric against the all-consuming crony capitalism of the Modi era. While NCP leader Sharad Pawar, an influential member of the Opposition alliance has spoken in defense of a big businessman — accused of getting preferential treatment from the Prime Minister — Gandhi is the rare Indian political voice who has stood his ground on an issue. Even Congress chief ministers do not do so as presumably, political finance is crucial in election season, be it from capitalists or cronies.

Though unrelated events, it’s worth remembering that the Gujarat court verdict on defamation carrying a two-year sentence (that gave the grounds for disqualification from Parliament) came a few weeks after Gandhi spoke forcefully in the House on the Hindenburg-Adani matter and flashed pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the businessman. Most parts of that speech were later expunged by the Speaker.

Currently, the broadcast media is positing the 2024 national election, due in nine months as a Modi vs Rahul battle. It would be a mistake for the Congress to go along with this narrative. Instead, the Congress needs to go in the other direction and highlight the fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become a cult around one leader.

The national party does indeed diminish former coalition partners, besides sidelining its own veterans and chief ministers/state satraps. The Congress could point out that a multi-lingual democracy is being asked to pay homage to one leader whose regime is repeatedly stepping on state power and, thereby, violating the federal structure of the Union.

On August 7 itself, the day Gandhi returned to Parliament, the Modi regime managed a double whammy when it passed the Delhi services Bill in the Rajya Sabha that hands powers to a selected Lieutenant Governor and bureaucrats over the elected government in Delhi. The Data protection Bill that enhances the Centre’s powers in matters of digital privacy was also passed in the Lok Sabha without any debate.

There is meanwhile a conversation on whether Gandhi should now begin another Bharat Jodo Yatra, that would go from East to West, or vice versa. The last one began in Kanyakumari on September 7. If such a journey was to take place it would certainly go through damaged parts of the North-east. But there is also the question of whether the Congress would end up devoting all its resources to such an exercise at a time when it also needs to focus on important state elections at the end of the year. This is a balancing act the party leadership must decide on.

As for Gandhi, he seems to be working splendidly with Mallikarjun Kharge as Congress President as the latter brings the synergy of belonging to a subaltern social group and years of political experience. Yet there are gaping gaps in the party’s strategy, especially when it comes to Uttar Pradesh that sends 80 MPs to Parliament. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has given up charge of the state where the Congress is rudderless, and apparently unable to even stagger up. The BJP’s national strategy is centred on maximising numbers in this state in the face of potential losses elsewhere. At this point it is also not clear what is the strategy of the strongest state opposition force, the Samajwadi Party.

Yet, there are other strong partners in the Opposition alliance, from numerically significant states such as Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, which between them send 169 MPs to Parliament.

It is, therefore, important for Rahul Gandhi to be strategically wise, and despite media attempts, not suck out all the air from the Opposition room, by allowing a projection of himself as the face against Modi. Indeed, the smartest thing would be to say that, like his mother Sonia Gandhi, he too does not seek public office.

(Saba Naqvi is a journalist and author.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.