Will the real Rahul Gandhi please stand up?

He has currently forsaken his ‘angry young man’ image and is positioning himself as a mature politician; but what purpose do these reinventions serve?

This question comes to mind as the Nehru-Gandhi scion, like a quick-change artist, continues to reinvent himself every few years.

In keeping with his penchant for a constant image makeover, the Nehru-Gandhi scion has donned yet another new avatar these days.

The Congress leader has currently forsaken his ‘angry young man’ image and is positioning himself as a sober, mature politician who can engage at length with experts on weighty policy issues.

This was clearly the central purpose of the interviews he recently conducted with former Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan, Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee and industrialist Rajeev Bajaj in which Rahul Gandhi discussed the state of the economy and remedies to kickstart growth and revive demand.

In the latest move, the Congress leader has released four short videos in which he has raised questions about the Modi government’s handling of the ongoing face-off with China in Ladakh.

Rahul Gandhi’s tone and style of messaging may have changed but there is no let-up in his attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Instead of opting for angry and clever sound bytes and slogans like “suit-boot ki sarkar” and “chowkidar chor hai”, which got him instant media attention, the Wayanad MP has now chosen to pin down Modi on the Chinese incursions, his myriad foreign policy failures and the economic slowdown in a more sombre manner. This change has also been accompanied by a new sartorial look. The trademark kurta pyjama has been replaced with pants and shirt. The scruffy beard has given way to a neat new haircut and a clean-shaven look. Almost like a nerd.

It’s nothing new

But then Rahul Gandhi is no stranger to reinvention. When he entered politics sixteen years ago, he was happy to be a backbencher in the Lok Sabha. He took scant interest in Parliamentary debates and instead chose to travel around the country to interact with students, academics and activists, ostensibly to educate himself. But the real objective here was to project Rahul Gandhi as a youth icon.

Not weighed down by any responsibility, he would take off on periodic foreign visits which gradually gave the impression that he lacked staying power and was a non-serious politician.

Then there was a prolonged phase when belligerence became second nature to Rahul Gandhi. Whether it was Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in the 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls or Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the subsequent elections, the Congress heir apparent was at his aggressive ‘best’ as he launched a high-decibel campaign against his political opponents.

This was followed by a short period when Rahul Gandhi swung to the other extreme, spoke of winning over people (including political rivals) with love and affection. For a brief time, he chose not to target Modi personally and instead focused on the government’s failures and unkept promises.

This side of Rahul Gandhi was on display during the 2017 Gujarat assembly elections and also when he took over the party’s presidency a year later. To drive home his point, he even walked across to the treasury benches and enveloped Modi in a bear hug during a debate in the Lok Sabha. However, this phase proved to be short-lived as he soon went back to Modi-bashing, which has not gone down well with a large section in the Congress which believes Rahul Gandhi should pick his battles more judiciously.

Has he been successful?

With Rahul Gandhi undertaking periodic transformations over the past decade-and-a-half, it is pertinent to ask if these endeavours have served their purpose.

Unfortunately for him, the answer is a big No. It is evident that even after 16 years in politics, his communication skills have not shown any significant improvement. In fact, Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to improve his acceptability has a hollow ring to it, appearing laboured, superficial and orchestrated.

The Congress heir-apparent has been singularly unsuccessful in shedding the ‘pappu’ image he has acquired thanks to a relentless BJP campaign. The public perception that he is a poor second to Modi has not changed. Worse still, he continues to be caricatured.

At best, Rahul Gandhi comes across as someone who is groping in the dark for the right profile, a confused person who is unable to decide who he is and how he wishes to project himself.

If Rahul Gandhi is serious about pursuing a career in politics, he must first get rid of his current group of image consultants whose advice has done little to lift his profile. Instead of focussing excessively on the use of social media, it would be of far greater help both to him and the Congress if the Nehru-Gandhi scion used that time and energy in communicating with dispirited party workers who are constantly complaining about how inaccessible he is.

But most importantly, Rahul Gandhi should stop living in denial and understand that he personally does not have what it takes to mount a serious challenge to Modi. The days when the Congress was a one-man/woman show are over. The Nehru-Gandhi scion has to necessarily work with state and local leaders to take the fight to the far corners of the country.

(Anita Katyal is a Delhi-based journalist and a keen observer of domestic political developments)

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