A week, they say, is a long time in politics. Something similar it seems is happening in Indian politics, at least with respect to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Last week, the Congress, after the government decided to first increase rail fares and then decontrol diesel, was on the defensive. However, the compelling performance of Rahul Gandhi at the Jaipur convention of the party over the weekend gave the Congress an incredible bounce.
Not only did the BJP miss another opportunity to score brownie points, its problem of internal dissidence has struck a new low.
The re-election of party president Nitin Gadkari fast degenerated into a cloak-and-dagger game, with Rajnath Singh set to take over as the BJP president. This is unlike what the tea leaves read a week ago.
The question is whether the BJP’s loss will be the Congress’s gain.
