By Milind Arolkar
New Delhi, May 2: The election campaign of the Congress party is Rahul all the way. It is Of Rahul, By Rahul and For Rahul; but the irony is it lacked the essence “Aam Adami” in whose name the UPA has assumed power. The story of Congress’ poll campaign is thus “Off People Buy People and Far away from People.”
Openly daring the Congress party, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on 30 April, told the nation: “Maa Bete ki Sarkar gayi and” (The government of Mother and Son has gone; the current voting is being casted for hope and actually Laid the foundation to bring a new and dynamic Government!). This election is a “Poll for Hope” for the entire nation but in Congress the election is being fought for the “hope of the Gandhi family.”
The fractured Congress party, whose bigwigs like Manish Tewari, P Chidambaram and many more refused to contest the polls, has already lost the battle before it began. Important thing was the Congress party was never seen in 2014 Lok Sabha Polls to win the election; it is focused only in maintaining the seats of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The dynastic party is also in a wake to demonstrate and establish the leadership of Rahul Gandhi after Sonia’s rule over the dynastic party. Pathetic enough, the election campaign has seen the washed out effect of Rahul Gandhi’s much hyped leadership skills and the clueless and despondent Congressmen who have no option to witness the unprecedented fallout of the Congress party which was being seen as unsinkable.
AICC Meet: Mother shielded Political future of her Son
Congress party particularly Mother Sonia shielded son Rahul from a projected direct fight with Narendra Modi. The AICC meet in January 2014 actually shocked the nation when the people saw a hesitation from the Party to declare Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate who already was heading the party’s election coordination committee for Lok Sabha polls. The time was that the Congress party was at one of the most important defining moment in its history and the Congress party was gearing up for the generational shift from Sonia to Rahul. The Congress party was expecting for a ‘face’ to face the Lok Sabha battle which was till then made unchallengeableby the Bharatiya janata Party and the blitzkrieg of the first round of Narendra Modi’s fiery speeches.
The Congress Party and its Supremo (Auto Correct suggests – SuperMom!) Sonia Gandhi disseminated her affection towards her Son than the party she leads. Congress never appeared to be excited about the idea to pit Rahul directly against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Rahul also expressed his willingness to take on any responsibility that the party entrusts him with saying that: “I am a soldier of Congress. I will obey whatever order is given to me.” On the second day when some enthusiastically chanted his name for Prime Ministerial candidate of Congress party, Sonia Gandhi began her speech by making the Rahul pitchers disappointed by saying that the decision taken by CWC is final and Rahul Gandhi will be poll panel head and not be announced as Party’s PM candidate.
This was the first time before the big polls when the devoted Congressmen felt betrayed.
Congress’ ‘Gandhi’ campaign
Even if the Congress party did not dared to announce Rahul’s candidature, the campaign began and failed with Rahul Gandhi’s face value as a ‘Gandhi’ and branding as a ‘Commoner’. The poll campaign of the Congress was never in a mood to cash both UPA’s achievements (?) but started with the Communal and secular. Congress talked about MGNREGA raised rural wages, Food Security Bill, Right to Information, Women Reservation Bill and Rajiv Gandhi.
Congress’s first salvo of ‘Secular” Bharat Nirman advertisement conveying Muslims that: “Bharat Ke Nirman Mai Hai Haq Mera” (I have right on developed India) was nullified by Narendra Modi mocking it by saying People saying ‘Bharat Nirman Shaq Hai Mera.’ Secular Javed Akhtar had conceptualized this theme for the ‘secular’ Congress party
After this lost attempt, Congress suddenly published Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Aam Adami’ images saying that “Congress Ka sath Aam Adami Ke Saath” (Congress’s hand with Common man) And “Rahul ji ke nau hathiyar, door karenge bhrashtachar (The nine weapons of Rahul will remove corruption).
From here the Congress party favored hype of Rahul Gandhi’s persona and talk of ‘Secularism” as its poll campaign master tools.
Rahul Gandhi caused Congress than Modi
When recently Daljit Singh, half brother of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, joined the BJP, a imaginative dialogue was being circulated. Priyanka Vadra-Gandhi to Manmohan: Your brother is helping BJP to win. Manmohan : What about your brother? Jokes apart but Rahul Gandhi’s compelled over exposure to the ‘Janata’ caused the Congress party more than Modi.
Congress party or to be precise, Sonia Gandhi never exposed her son to the open public platform. All his interactions were safely planned. In fact Rahul’s attendance rate too is poor – 42.61 per cent. Rahul did not ask even a single question in Lok Sabha during his five years in Parliament. Totally failed as a Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi is at number five among the bottom 10 underperformers and is ranked 355 among MPs of all parties. But with the special courtesy of Meira Kumar, then Speaker of Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi make an out-of- turn speech on Lokpal on 26 August 2011, without a notice. His sister Priyanka specially attended gallery to watch her brother ‘speaking’. This ‘guest appearance’ was slammed by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj calling it as a”lecture” to the Lok Sabha and even questioned the Speaker for relaxing convention for Rahul Gandhi, saying “Zero Hour is intended for debates, not for lectures to the nation.”
On 28 September last year Rahul Gandhi barged into a press conference of Congress’ own media and communications head Ajay Maken. Maken was justifying Government’s decision that negated a Supreme Court’s order that ruled convicted lawmakers can’t continue in office. Rahul’s dramatically entered into that PC and told reporters that the ordinance was complete nonsense and Therefore, it should be “torn up and thrown out”. Gandhi, however, did not take any questions from journalists who asked if he wasn’t undermining Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and left as quickly as he had come in. The shocked Maken took a U turn and told media that Rahul Gandhi’s was the official position and Congress opposes the ordinance. Many such incidences left the Congress leaders biting their nails about Rahul’s such eccentric behaviors.
In 2014, when Narendra Modi’s rallies pleasantly shocked the BJP with tremendous response, Rahul Gandhi’s rallies traumatized Congress leaders for exactly inverse reason. Modi was being cheered by a sea of people in each rally and for Rahul’s rallies, Congress leaders were begging people to stay till Rahul arrives. Fluttered by this new scene, Congress leaders and their New ‘General’ started using harsh and personal attacks on Modi.
Congress campaign touched a low when Rahul Gandhi’s interview on Times Now was released. Tweeples used Rahul’s interview as an opportunity to exhibit their literary skills. Cracking jokes about the repeated use of ‘fundamental’, ‘RTI’, ‘women’s empowerment’ by Gandhi, many slammed Rahul Gandhi for evading ‘specific question’. This interview which was hooted on social media evaporated the wobbling campaign of Congress.
OPINION 