Opinion Out of My Mind: The irrelevance of being Rahul
Being the president of the Congress party used to be just a temporary job.
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It is Sonia Gandhi who made the presidency of the Congress a serious political position.
Being the president of the Congress party used to be just a temporary job. The party would elect a president each year. Occasionally, someone got re-elected. Subhash Chandra Bose, for example, was president twice and Maulana Azad was president for six years during World War II when there was no scope for having an annual meeting. Later on, the Congress prime minister was the de facto leader and the Congress president just a nominal head. During the interim period between Nehru and Indira Gandhi, the post became important. Sanjiva Reddy had delusions of power until Indira Gandhi re-established the old tradition of weak presidents.
It is Sonia Gandhi who made the presidency of the Congress a serious political position. She had to because under Sitaram Kesri, the party was going through a meltdown (even so, not as bad as it is today). She has now been president for the longest period. Sonia Gandhi brought a hitherto unseen executive quality to the ‘grand old party’. She chose not to be a prime minister, but as with the original Gandhi, there was never any doubt as to who was boss.
Even so, the Congress now faces the fact that the party registered its worst ever performance ever, not just in the general elections, but in state elections before and after May 2014 as well. It is partly because the party has been out of touch with young, urban India, but also because Sonia Gandhi has been under the weather for almost five years. We will never be told what is wrong with her, but she could not campaign in 2014 as she did in the two previous elections.
Sonia Gandhi is unusual because she disliked politics and tried her best to dissuade Rajiv from taking it up. But Rajiv had no choice. He inherited the throne and was gifted the largest majority ever seen. He then went on to dissipate it. Despite his charm, he had no aptitude for politics. Sanjay had it, but then one never knows how he would have used it had he legitimately been in power.
Rahul is having problems. There can be no doubt any longer, even in his mind, that he has no liking, talent or aptitude for politics. Unlike his mother, he is not willing to put in hard and unremitting effort to learn the job. She uniquely mastered politics, which she did not like and for which she had no formal or informal training. Rahul flies kites, but then he abandons them. For example, the primaries or his agitation at Bhatta Parsaul. Politics is hard work; it is a 24X7 job.
Rahul wants to get away and relax as any young man of his generation would. He takes a stab at the job, has ideas, but does not stay on the job — which is the most time consuming activity there is. Rahul is also unusual in admitting that he was lost and needed time to think. Away from mother.
No one knows where he has gone (perhaps only to his enormous bolt-hole in Sainik Farms), when he will come back, and what he wants the party to do.
The sad truth is it does not matter at all. He is irrelevant. Sonia Gandhi has, in the meantime, resumed active leadership. She is leading demonstrations and speaking in the Lok Sabha. Few people have realised that Sonia is now the most experienced Congress MP. Pranab Mukherjee has gone upward. She is not there just because of dynastic reasons. Sonia Gandhi needs to take charge after having tried to pass on the baton to Rahul but without success.
What the Congress needs now is a serious but independent evaluation of why it failed in 2014. It needs an overhaul of its organisation with professional executive expertise. It needs a serious rethink of what it really believes in other than just anti-Modi slogans. It needs to re-mobilise its members for some grass roots contact work and not just wait for tickets for the next election.
As for Rahul, let him continue his sabbatical. That may be one way to save the Congress. Otherwise, goodbye Congress.
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