IS ANYONE MISSING RAHUL GANDHI?

NEW DELHI: The Congress should have been paralysed as its young leader, poised to become the President of the party, has gone to a destination unknown even before the budget session of Parliament. But no leader in the party seems to be missing him either in Parliament or outside, and some even quietly express a sense of relief that they do not have to deal with two power centres in the same party and the same family.

Rahul Gandhi’s destination and mission remains a huge secret, as everything to do with the Nehru-Gandhi family. The same cloak of secrecy surrounds his ‘holiday’ or ‘introspection’ with not a murmur from the party, or for that matter the Modi government that has the information it has agreed not to share. So the elusive scion is rumoured to be anywhere from our own Pondicherry to the more exotic Greece; and the mission is anything between a ‘holiday’ to “deep introspection.’

The arrival dates are also changing constantly. When the budget session began Congress leaders said he would be back in three weeks, that was later changed to two weeks, and is now changed to “not this month”. Early April is when he is expected back according to some, but then the speculation is really only in the media with Congressmen seeming least interested in “Rahulji’s” whereabouts or return dates.

In Parliament, the MP from Amethi has barely anything to contribute. Photographs of him sleeping in the back benches were published during the winter session of Parliament. Despite being an old hand now, comparatively speaking, he keeps out of business, intervening rarely, and that too reading from prepared text. As an opposition leader who did not want to be quoted said, “I cannot see what he would have brought to the table had he been here right now.” He was referring to the joint strategy meetings of the opposition MPs to chalk out united action during the session against the government.

All political parties and leaders had geared up for this crucial session of Parliament with the opposition in particular working out issues, and floor coordination to corner the government on a host of issues. It was thus a surprise for many to find that the anointed leader of the Congress party had decided to skip the crucial first days, which also included the presentation of the Railway and Union budgets.

Congress MP’s insist for the record that Rahul Gandhi is remote controlling their activities, laughable really as most action is being provoked by the moment. The party, led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, walked to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence to register solidarity with him because of the summons on the coal scam. Did you miss Rahul Gandhi? The leader asked this question looked the other way, and refused to answer.

The party is divided now into two sections, those who prefer to be led by Sonia Gandhi and the small group that owes allegiance to Rahul Gandhi who is being compelled by his mother to accept the baton. However, at the moment it is all a sea of confusion with Congressmen not really sure whether they should speak of a change in command, as they do not know whether it is going to happen, or they should desist from comment. Then the worry is that by keeping quiet, will they feed into speculation that they do not want the change to happen etc etc. In short, the Congress member is confused, worried, and very uncertain.

The version currently seems to be that Rahul Gandhi will return in April and soon take over as the president of the Congress party with a younger team. And that the change of party presidents in some of the state units---such as Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi--- is a reflection of this. But now even those who were broadcasting the shift in power have fallen silent, as clearly the absence is far longer than initially indicated.

The Congress has tightened its socks in Parliament with its leaders in both Houses --Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma---doing a good job in raising issues, and attacking the government along with the others. Pettiness has been replaced with rules of business that they all have a good grip on and substantive arguments on the issues raised. However, the party is barely visible outside Parliament except to some extent on occasions in Delhi. This has been the story for almost the last year, since the Lok Sabha polls, with even the campaign for the Delhi elections being restricted to a few ineffective meetings by Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress workers have been told not to keep raising the demand for Priyanka Vadra’s entry into politics. This is a major ‘no no’ with the party now maintaining silence about this alternative, and going into wait-mode----at least officially---for the return of the scion. The initial talk of a big change in the party, or a collective leadership, of brainstorming, of democratising the organisation through elections has died a natural death with leaders looking embarrassed now when asked whether the party was doing anything to give itself the much needed dose of oxygen.