Rahul Gandhi, the ever-roaring 'Babbar Sher' of the Congress, turned into a Paper Tiger; he just mewed when asked to confront his opponent Smriti Irani in his den Amethi.
After a fortnight of wishy-washy, the reluctant Gandhi scion who was chased by the fear of another ignoble defeat here, decided not to contest from Amethi.
Rahul Gandhi preferred Rae Bareli to contest — the seat his mother Sonia Gandhi represented — as he filed nomination papers today. But the muted roar of the lion has left many in the Congress dejected, his supporters in Amethi long-faced and friendly media wondering.
This Lok Sabha election is not a battle of ballot only, it is a psychological warfare and many believe that after Rahul Gandhi decided his ouster from Amethi, the Congress has lost the battle of perception to the BJP.
As Rahul Gandhi refused to become a scapegoat from Amethi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too shivered, the family had no choice except to send their loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma to face Smriti Irani.
Uttar Pradesh having 80 seats decides who comes to power at the Centre and who will be PM. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is contesting against the BJP-led NDA along with Samajwadi Party.
The BJP has a well-oiled machinery and organisation driven by PM Narendra Modi and state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. While the BJP looks determined to increase its tally in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, the Congress is not even keen to contest.
This is happening at a time when the Congress heading INDI alliance is pitching Rahul Gandhi at par with Modi as well as the prime ministerial face.
However, Congress’ spin doctors are desperately trying to run a narrative that Rahul Gandhi possesses unmatched strategy, patience and foresight and just like in chess in politics too he stays ahead of the game, always thinking several moves ahead.
But the message has gone loud and out that the Congress is now not even seen pretending to fight against the BJP.
Leave any fierce confrontation, the Congress just caved in before the BJP without firing a single shot and don’t forget that still five phases of polls are left.
Modi had already forecast that after the Wayanad polls were over the Congress would search for a safe seat for Rahul Gandhi. But Rahul Gandhi was aware that Amethi was not going to be an easy seat this time too.
This question always irritated him whenever the media asked whether he would also contest from Amethi. After all, Rahul Gandhi had turned his back on Amethi since 2019 when he was first defeated by Irani. She on the other hand remained in Amethi consolidating her base.
First, Sonia Gandhi quit Rae Bareli on health grounds and took the route of the Rajya Sabha and her son followed the footsteps of his mother.
Modi and the BJP were ready with their best pun to punch Rahul Gandhi and the Congress. Ironically, Rahul Gandhi’s best-ever punch line against the BJP ‘Daro Mat (don’t be afraid) became Modi’s best-ever pun.
"These people roam around and tell everyone - Daro Mat! Don't be afraid! Well, I'd say the same to them - Daro mat! Bhago mat! don't be afraid! Do not run!" Modi mocked Rahul Gandhi for seat change while addressing a rally in West Bengal today.
Amethi and Rae Bareli are not just two ordinary parliamentary constituencies. The twin constituencies in Uttar Pradesh are the symbol of a sense of the entitlement of the Gandhi family, something which was exclusively reserved either for them or their loyalists.
Since the formation of Amethi in 1967, the opposition won only thrice, in 2019 (Smriti Irani), 1998 (Sanjay Singh) won by the BJP and 1977 when Ravindra Pratap Singh of the BLD won.
Rae Bareli, since 1952, has voted members from the Gandhi family namely Feroze Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Arun Nehru, Sheila Kaul and the family loyalists.
Except on three occasions when Raj Narain of Janata Party defeated Indira Gandhi once and the BJP which won this seat twice in 1996 and 1998, it remained with the Congress.
Factual or fictitious many theories and stories were cooked, planted and guessed by supporters, experts and media.
In 2019 Rahul Gandhi had sensed his possible rout in Amethi hence he opted for the Wayanad parliamentary seat in Kerala which is a Muslim-dominated constituency.
It was the right decision because Amethi sent him packing but Wayanad saved his prestige with an overwhelming margin of over four lakh votes.
Five years later, Rahul Gandhi decided to contest from Wayanad. But the party wanted him to contest from Amethi also else it would send a wrong message and the BJP would spin a narrative that Congress is a sinking ship and caption Rahul Gandhi has jumped out to save his life.
But Rahul Gandhi was not convinced. Sonia Gandhi was caught in such a fix that she could not afford to leave both constituencies unattended at a time when her son and daughter were too apprehensive about their capabilities. Her son-in-law Robert Vadra who nourishes political ambition started projecting his candidature for Amethi.
While Rahul Gandhi officially bid adieu to Amethi, the jury is out on whether Rae Bareli will offer the same kind of warmth and welcome.
Don’t forget, in 2019, the BJP had narrowed down the winning margin of Sonia Gandhi.
While the mother sniffed danger in advance and shifted, the son had a bigger challenge to face in Rae Bareli. June 4 will decide whether Lion will roar or just mew.
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