Mysterious sabbatical

Kalyani Shankar
Why does the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi hog the front -page headlines for the wrong reasons? The Gandhi scion has done it again by choosing to disappear on the eve of the crucial budget session of Parliament when his party members expected him to lead the attack on the Modi government. Rahul Gandhi often goes abroad and also has missed many other important occasions like attending the farewell party for Prime Minister Singh, or participating in the 130th birth anniversary of the Congress Party to name a few. The surprise was that the party had made it public that he had sought leave of absence for a sabbatical.
Rahul Gandhi could have spared himself from all criticism had he chosen some other time for his sabbatical. AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh has rightly stated that while the idea was not bad, the timing was not good. There are others who are unable to hide their red faces on the sudden sabbatical mystery.
There are quite a few theories about the mysterious sabbatical. The first is that Rahul wants full control of the party, which is understandable. After all he had been the understudy for the past ten years. This means he wants to build his own team, which is also quite understandable. The Gandhis are so powerful that whenever he wanted, he could have take over. But what was stopping him from taking such control? It could be the party’s worst ever performance in the Lok Sabha polls that might make him hesitate to become the captain of the ship. After all, old timers are still willing to bet on Sonia’s leadership while there are others like Digvijay Singh who is batting for Rahul.
The second theory is that Rahul is on a confrontational path and the sabbatical route was his way of forcing the issue. His main problem is working with the old guards some of whom are not computer savvy when Gandhi’s office functions only on e- mails and SMSs. But unlike his grandmother Indira Gandhi who got rid of the syndicate, Rahul does not have the political acumen or political maturity. Like his grandmother. Anyone who knows the Gandhi family also knows how close the mother and son are. In fact the critics often accuse Sonia Gandhi of being more of a mother than the party president in things connected with Rahul. So when it comes to a showdown, Sonia is likely to yield to the pressure from her son.
The third theory is that he is sulking. Since the Lok Sabha debacle, this war between the old guard and new guard had begun. They had been sidelined during the Lok Sabha polls as Rahul had the control of the campaign as well as selection of most candidates. Actually it is absurd to say that Rahul does not have power or the old guards over rule his ideas. He has had his way in most things. Most of the state unit presidents are his handpicked men. He wanted to have primaries to select the candidates during the Lok Sabha polls but it failed. He was experimenting with elections in the Youth Congress and the NSUI but could not succeed. The fight for primacy between the old guard and the Rahul’s coterie has reached its height now. The old guards are apprehensive of their future and not willing to go without a fight. While Sonia Gandhi has been advising to have a mix of old guard and the new guard in Rahul’ s team, the young Gandhi is resisting.
Another view is that Rahul Gandhi has had enough of politics as he has always been seen as a reluctant politician and wants to quit. He might have realized that he cannot be a 24/7 politician and the sabbatical is just preparing the party for his exit. This theory is a little far-fetched because he does not need to go for introspection as he can simply walk out after convincing his mother.
Many observers say that it is a well thought out strategy to deflect criticism of Rahul Gandhi. Probably the mother and son had decided that retreat is better than the valor and keeping away from the public glare is preferable for the time being. This too is not convincing because Rahul had not been known as a good Parliamentarian and does not even attend the house regularly.
It could be any one of these or a combination of them. No one has heard of a member taking time off for a retreat in the history of Parliament. After all, he has certain duties even as an ordinary M.P and Members of Parliament normally do not take leave of absence unless they are ailing or face some other compulsions. Sonia Gandhi might have indulged him as his mother but as the party President she should not have allowed such a privilege to an important office bearer of the Grand Old Party.
Whatever could be the inside problems, the Congress needs to pull up its socks and try to regain the opposition space it has already lost. The April AICC session could be one such occasion and the Gandhis should not miss this opportunity. Perhaps the sabbatical would make Rahul come back as a 24/7 practical politician and take over the party. There is need to re invent the party now that the recent elections have proved that old style Congress functioning can not get them votes. The party has to be in step with the aspirational class and also forget the “we are born to rule” attitude. Once Rahul comes back, the Congress party too should have a freewheeling introspection. (IPA)

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