Grand Fallen Party needs much more to lift itself up

When he entered politics a decade ago, Rahul Gandhi had the look of a deer being caught by a car headlight at night. He seemed paralysed when the spotlight fell on him. He was inarticulate when he should have been out there and in your face as Narendra Modi always is. When he did speak, it was usually an angry outburst that had his partymen scurrying around to play down the gaffe.

So when Rahul spoke last week in Parliament, there was a refreshing change in both his body language and his eye contact. He seemed comfortable in his own skin, unaffected by heckling, ready with a repartee and willing to take on the Prime Minister with his “suit-boot” government dig, even decrying him for being pro-business and anti-farmer and anti-worker.

His next move was as significant — announcing that he would undertake the Char Dham Yatra, preferring to trek the 18 kms to Kedarnath shrine rather than using a helicopter. The symbolism was obvious — Rahul was challenging the Sangh Parivar’s gameplan of making the Hindu vote its exclusive preserve. Far from running away from the battle, as was being deduced by his mysterious 56-day sabbatical, Rahul seems to have come back rejuvenated and raring to go.

That’s a good omen for the demoralised Congress, which had fallen deeper into the abyss after the humiliating drubbing in the 2014 general elections. It has to been seen though whether Rahul would be able to sustain the scorching pace and not go back into his shell, sulk or take off to a secret destination. 

The timing for a Congress revival could not have been any better. After an extraordinarily long honeymoon, Modi’s popularity has hit a bump. It began with the BJP’s stunning setback in the Delhi elections. Then Modi erred in rushing through an ordinance to dilute the stringent Land Acquisition Act which his own party had vociferously voted for when it was introduced by the previous government. 

There is no doubt the Act in its current form needs amendment as it made land acquisition a cumbersome and costly process. The Act swung the pendulum from one extreme where farmers were being exploited and their land bought cheap to the other pole where acquisition became a major disincentive for industry. But Modi, known for his extraordinary communication skills, surprisingly failed to brief the public on why the Act needed to be changed before issuing the ordinance and moving an amendment in Parliament.

Then the unseasonal rains which caused extensive damage to the ripening rabi crops across North India caught the Modi government flatfooted. The Prime Minister’s frequent foreign trips, where he admittedly did a good job of rebuilding India’s image, became the butt of criticism. The Opposition accused him of not focusing enough on vital domestic issues. His economic thrust to India’s foreign policy was much needed. But his efforts to woo foreign investment were now painted by the Opposition as Modi going out of his way to please big business in India.

The Opposition, which seemed washed out and listless, began to find its voice again and developed an edge. The coming together of the Janata Parivar, timed for the forthcoming Bihar elections, began to look ominous for the BJP. The land acquisition ordinance became a rallying point for the Congress. It gained momentum with the farmers’ distress and suicides over crop loss and the Centre’s slow response. By the time Modi returned from abroad and acted, the damage was done. For the first time since he became Prime Minister, Modi looked vulnerable.

While the return of Rahul to centre-stage (thanks to the BJP’s barbs, the Congress vice-president remained in focus even when he was absent) has revived the spirits of the Grand Fallen Party, it has a long way to go. The Congress remains a divided house with the old guard rooting for Sonia Gandhi to stay at the helm and Rahul backers calling for a generational change. Nowhere are the differences so visible as in Punjab where former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh openly backs Sonia and loses no opportunity in running down Partap Singh Bajwa, seen as Rahul’s choice.

Major organisational changes in the Congress are expected in September and there is a push to make the reenergised Rahul take over the mantle of president from his mother. Sonia seems willing but doesn’t want to force a decision. But before that, the Congress needs to evolve a cohesive narrative that would excite the nation, get its act together in the states and put up a show of unity among its leaders. Otherwise, Rahul’s refreshing act may seem like the lone swallow that will not signal an Indian summer for the Congress.

raj@tribuneindia.com