Ballyhoo for 'Yuvraj'Rahul

Questions are being raised about the timing of announcement if it comes at all

by Arun Srivastava

Rahul Gandhi in Parliament

Clamours are at height in the Congress party to anoint its vice president Rahul Gandhi for prime ministerial post in the coming general election of 2014. Since the drubbing in the semi finale of 2014 election creeping voices are getting louder from humble party men be it MPs or MLAs or an ordinary worker who fight with the opponents in the actual field, But is it worthwhile to voice for Rahul especially at this time?

When every voter and even a child on streets have loud and clear perception about this unsaid fact then why this futile ballyhoo for official coronation exercise of announcement by party president Sonia Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi will be Congress party’s prime ministerial candidate if it comes in power again in May 2014. Party had already invested him with regal power in the last ‘Chintan Sivir’ held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Critics say that nothing is going to change in party’s fortune overnight merely by announcing Rahul as prime ministerial candidate.

Office bearers are saying that party never gives importance to an individual over the party. They site this dogma when give logic for not naming Rahul while opposition BJP has done it in September itself. Perhaps party doesn’t need any other name till the fist family is there to control reign. Yesterday media secretary of party had unhesitantly accepted it from podium while responding to a question.  She vented views of young MPs of party in her answer. ‘The entire Congress party, not just the youth, is looking forward to the session (there is a one day session of party on 17^th January next year). If there is an announcement made on the lines of prime ministerial candidate, we all will be very happy. We wish Rahul Gandhi is projected as our leader’ said Priya Dutt, also a MP from Mumbai.

But the question is?  Will this move help Congress and Rahul Gandhi to grab the impossible win from opposition which ostensibly has got (if we go by the present trends) upper hand in the battle of democracy at least for the time being? Answers from pollsters and pundits are no. They are not convinced by the possible move of Congress party if it comes at all in the forthcoming session going to be held at Talkatora Indore Stadium. Many of them believe that leadership is always associated with charisma, oratory and the ability to motivate an organization. Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal have proved these qualities in the just concluded elections. The masses which had come to rallies of Modi and Kejriwal prove that both are charismatic and have got the skill of motivating the crowd and organization. On the contrary noting has transpired as such so far that shows that Rahul has also got these abilities.

One more thing is also going against the Rahul. Modi and Kejriwal are leading sentiments that challenge the Government. Sentiments of commoners whose budgets were largely shattered by the price rise of essential commodities and corruption in the routine life has got vent through their votes. In our country, movements that challenge the political establishment have always hit among the masses. There are many examples in the annals. For instance Indira Gandhi, Jayaprakash, VP Singh, NT Rama Rao, Kanshi Ram and Mayawati challenged the established leadership at respective time and got hit among common man. How leadership tackles these issues will be interesting to see