Last Updated on 03/08/2024 by wccexam Desk
On 4 December 2013, when Arvind Kejriwal’s newly-formed Aam Aadmi Party won 28 seats in the Delhi Assembly, defying all poll predictions, Rahul Gandhi had said that he would learn from Kejriwal’s success. Almost 11 years later, Rahul Gandhi is now performing better than the Delhi Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) in his style and has even surpassed him.
Before we go further, Rahul Gandhi’s core supporters say the young leader from the Gandhi family had planned to take on Kejriwal long before he emerged as a political disruptor, but Rahul Gandhi was trapped by the Congress old guard, his mother Sonia Gandhi’s wariness and his own dynastic background.
Today, as the leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi has emerged as a bold politician both inside and outside the Lok Sabha. He dramatically claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was planning to conduct raids against him and arrest him. He made this claim at 1:52 am on a microblogging platform. The timing is significant because over the years, many Congress leaders often complained about Rahul’s unavailability between 10 pm and 10 am.
Apparently, the 2 in 1 did not like my Chakravyuh speech. An ED ‘insider’ told me that raids are being planned.
waiting with open arms @dir_ed…..Tea and biscuits from me.
– Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 1, 2024
What will ED gain from the challenge?
By challenging the ED to take action against him, Rahul seems to have done a lot of political calculations. If the ED does not summon him, Rahul will achieve a victory of sorts. If the agency proceeds, Rahul will term the ED’s move as an act of political vendetta. More importantly, Rahul’s claim of having inside and prior information from the ED will gain credibility. The current composition of the Lok Sabha is such that the combined opposition represents 47 per cent as against the ruling coalition’s 53 per cent. In such a situation, the possibility that a section of the bureaucracy may sympathise with the opposition and especially the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) cannot be ruled out.
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Like Kejriwal in 2012-14, Rahul Gandhi has been relentless in his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged proximity to certain business houses and has been successful to some extent. During the Lok Sabha campaign, PM Modi tried to link certain industrialists as fundraisers of the Congress and the Opposition. PM Modi’s comment was seen as a quick response from Rahul Gandhi to pressure from him. Rahul Gandhi has been constantly naming business houses in his speeches in the Lok Sabha. Each time, when there is protest from the Speaker or the ruling benches, Rahul’s allegation that it is a case of mutual benefit gains strength.
Both Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal have not been conventional politicians. Kejriwal, a former bureaucrat, relied heavily on NGOs and civil society and reaped the benefits. In fact, he turned his NGO into a political party. Today, key members of Rahul Gandhi’s team come from NGO and activist backgrounds. During both phases of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, over 150 civil society organisations from 21 states participated in Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
In the last few months, Rahul Gandhi has tried to become a ‘polarising face’ against PM Modi rather than becoming a popular figure. Like the Kejriwal of 2014, he challenges PM Modi on every platform. In fact, Kejriwal contested against Modi from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in 2014. Many in the Congress believe that if a member of the Gandhi family, such as Rahul or Priyanka Gandhi, dared to contest from Varanasi in 2024, they could defeat Modi.
Like Kejriwal of the past, Rahul Gandhi has also started to communicate and interact with the public directly. One day he can be seen meeting loco pilots, and the next day interacting with porters at Anand Vihar railway station. Even while travelling, Rahul Gandhi has developed the habit of stopping and talking to people without any strings attached. He then raises their problems inside or outside Parliament. This concept of direct contact and communication has given Rahul a huge advantage over those who prefer security arrangements and advice.
Though there is no dress code in Indian politics, Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on his trademark white T-shirt has gone beyond the muffler. Choosing clothes in Indian politics is a difficult process as you do not have a specific pattern. Politicians project themselves as clean and moral and spiritual. The colour white is associated with all these characteristics. Hence, Rahul’s white T-shirt sends a strong political message and is a symbol of connect with the youth.
Rahul Gandhi’s risk-taking ability and his spontaneity are more likely to succeed because the legacy and influence of the Congress is far bigger than any other political party. Therefore, it is a little surprising how Akhilesh Yadav reacted to a question related to the formation of a shadow cabinet and shadow prime minister. The Samajwadi Party supremo asked in an interview why there should be only one shadow prime minister.
“Why can’t we have two, three, or more shadow prime ministers,” Akhilesh quickly added, as if mirroring the concerns of other India Alliance partners like TMC, Shiv Sena (Uttar Pradesh), NCP (SP), RJD, DMK, etc. If the Congress does well in the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, the emergence of Rahul Gandhi as a force to reckon with in the opposition ranks will become even more important.
(The views expressed here are the author’s own)
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)