Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, while praising his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s speech in the Lok Sabha on women reservation, said she had done something which he himself had not been able to do all these years—make Union Home Minister Amit Shah smile. Shah is rarely seen smiling in public, much less in the house. That day he did smile when Priyanka compared him with Chanakya and placed him on a pedestal.
Lighter moments aside, Priyanka has announced her arrival on the country's political and Parliamentary map. It is her first stint as a Parliamentarian. She got elected from Wayanad Parliamentary constituency that was vacated by her brother after he decided to retain the family bastion of Raebareli. Rahul had contested from both the seats together. Last time, he contested from Amethi and Wayanad and lost from Amethi. This time he again contested from two constituencies of Raebareli and Wayanad and won from both. Priyanka was elected in the by-election.
It has often been argued, both within and outside the Congress, whether Priyanka can replace Rahul as the “face” of the party and eventually the “Prime Ministerial face”. Though within the party to say anything on the subject will amount to blasphemy, outside the party forums and also in the media, the matter has been discussed and debated more freely and more frequently. For the Congress it is obviously a highly sensitive and volatile issue. It is not just about being the “party’s face”, it is about the leadership and legacy that comes into the focus.
That is why handing over the mantle of the party, even as the “party face” to Priyanka is not as simple as it sounds. Obviously, the family, including the matriarch Sonia Gandhi, knows better than everyone else. She has navigated the Congress for a long time. Moreover, nobody can know and assess her children better than her. Any leadership “shift” from Rahul to Priyanka may not be a simple “changeover”. This is despite the fact that Rahul and Priyanka enjoy deep and strong sibling bonding. The family has always stayed and stuck together. They have suffered greatest tragedies together and have come over them.
Whether anyone in the Congress likes it or not, though there may be so many who will actually like it, the fact is that Rahul has failed three times in a row as the leader of the party. He has delivered three back-to-back defeats for the party. He was in “practical and effective” control of the party since 2014. He did formally resign after 2019 owning responsibility for the defeat, but he continues to wield as much power now as he used to then.
Also read: Calm demeanour, sharp digs: Priyanka in Parliament
Also, no matter who the president of the party remains, Rahul remains the “undisputed” leader and the only challenger from the party to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When it comes to “who” against Modi, the answer right now is only and always “Rahul”. He has lost thrice in this battle. He has tried everything. But he has not been able to find any resonance among the masses despite taking up issues, which directly concern the public. Besides, Rahul always sounds natural and straightforward whenever he speaks. There is actually nothing against him that should weaken his credentials as the party’s ultimate leader.
But, the public perception strangely remains quite negative for him. He is still not being accepted by a majority of people across the country as an “alternative” to Modi. One of the main reasons that Modi has been having a free run in successive elections is that he does not face any challenger, as Rahul is never taken seriously. The most serious challenge that the opposition could present to Modi was in 2024 when the entire opposition united together and indeed did provide a tough challenge to him. It may not work the same way in 2029, as such experiments never succeed repeatedly.
Should the Congress try with Priyanka? A multitude of people across the country would say “yes”. Priyanka has often been compared with her charismatic grandmother Indira Gandhi, one of the greatest Prime Ministers India ever had. This is only for her appearance as she has a striking resemblance with Indira Gandhi. Nothing else can be compared at this stage, since Priyanka has not got any chance anywhere to prove her leadership qualities.
Yes, her public appearances and speeches have been raising heads among both the supporters as well as opponents. It is difficult to ignore or overlook whenever she speaks. So much so, she could make the country's Union Home Minister react with a smile, as rightly pointed out by her brother.
This was probably only her second or third long speech in the Parliament. She has been an MP for about a year now. Despite such short duration and experience, she has been making her mark felt. She has a lot of time to prove her credentials further. The way she speaks so softly with a perennial gentle and effortless smile continuously on her face, makes everyone take note of, including her opponents.
The opponents of the Congress may soon be finding themselves against a tough challenger, whose appearance is decent, dignified and gentle and so difficult to overlook. People have started taking note of it. So must have the BJP and may be many more in the Congress.
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