Rahul Gandhi’s birthday: His 46th year could be a defining one for his political fortunes
While party members across the country will celebrate the occasion on Sunday, for Gandhi it could be a moment of introspection.
A dozen years of active politics behind him, Rahul Gandhi celebrated his 46th birthday on Sunday, facing the toughest political challenge of his career as Congress vice-president.
Gandhi not only has to revive the 131-year-old party in most parts of the country, but has also to counter a surging Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gandhi’s 46th year could also be a defining year of his political career—the Congress party wants to come back to power in Punjab after a decade, play a decisive role in Uttar Pradesh, wrest Goa from the BJP and retain Uttarakhand after a mutiny by party leaders.
While party members across the country celebrate the occasion, for Gandhi it could be a moment of introspection.
Defeat after defeat in assembly elections, increasing rebellion in state units, threat to incumbent state governments by rebel leaders and exit of senior leaders—the past two years have been the most challenging in his political career.
“This would be the toughest phase (for him). A series of electoral and political setbacks have raised voices of rebellion. The party in the past has always looked to its ‘first family’ to help it win elections. Rahul Gandhi is yet to perform or demonstrate the capability or even inclination to lead the parties electoral/political battles,’’ said Sandeep Shastri, pro-vice-chancellor, Jain University, and director of its Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Education.
The immediate focus for Gandhi, according to senior party leaders, will be formulating election strategies for poll-bound states, particularly Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and effecting organizational changes, if not a total overhaul, of the party’s top-level leadership.
The ball was set rolling for it when last week, veteran leader and leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad took over as general secretary in-charge for Uttar Pradesh and Kamal Nath for Punjab and Haryana.
While Nath resigned after three days from Punjab’s charge, he continues to hold the charge for Haryana.
“Organizational changes have been in the offing for a long time now, and this would be Gandhi’s key priority. We will see more changes in the days to come. But, yes, as the leader of the party, he needs to take a few tough decisions, and it has to happen soon. Questions like when he will take over as president of the party, what he plans to do about the increasing dissidence and how to deal with strong regional leaders cannot wait for long,’’ a senior party leader from Uttar Pradesh said requesting anonymity.
Fourth-generation scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi plunged into full-time politics 12 years ago, when he successfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from his family bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
In 2007, he was appointed general secretary of the party and, three years ago, took charge as vice-president, a move that formally anointed him as the political heir to Sonia Gandhi, the longest serving party president who had led the party to two consecutive general election victories—in 2004 and 2009.
“Firstly, he needs to inspire confidence in the party rank-and-file that he has the appetite for a 24x7 role in politics. He now tends to demonstrate a switch-on-switch-off approach. Secondly, he needs to lead at the ground-level and be seen as actively engaged. Thirdly, an image makeover, where his communication style inspires confidence, demonstrates a long- term commitment and reverberates with enthusiasm and energy. Finally, he needs a set of key advisers who have their ears to the ground and are trusted by him. A second-line youth leadership, especially in the states, must be put in place,’’ Shastri added.
Since the drubbing in the 2014 general election, the Congress party has lost every state election in the last two years, except Bihar where it is a junior partner in the ruling alliance.
It has faced rebellion from party leaders in Arunachal Pradesh which led to the ouster of the Congress government; and in Uttarakhand, where its government survived a crisis when nine party legislators joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The party is facing rebellion in incumbent Meghalaya and in Tripura, where six of its legislators have crossed over to the Trinamool Congress.
‘’Way too many people, especially rebel leaders, have pointed out how the high command of the party is inaccessible and how it is difficult to get a hearing even in politically fragile situations. Gandhi needs to take steps to reach out to the disgruntled leaders. Whether it happens in the current structure, where he is second in line, or whether he decides to take over the top post is up to him, but the party needs to take these warnings seriously before it’s too late,’’ another party leader said, requesting anonymity.
Gandhi seems to have been a “reluctant leader" and “unless he recalibrates his approach to politics, his assuming the presidency will inspire little confidence in the party", Shastri said.
Gandhi’s key challenges will be firming up strategies for Punjab, where the Congress has projected former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh as the face of the party; in Uttar Pradesh, where it has to ramp up its ground strength to even improve its tally from the previous elections, and retaining Mizoram and Uttarakhand, amid a series of problems in state units, particularly in the North East.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!