Rahul Gandhi is once again in the eye of the storm. His comments on the reservation issue, about how Sikhs are not protected in India and his meeting with the well-known critic of India, the US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, during his recent three-day visit to the US, have angered many. The BJP and a section of the media have come in full force to target him again as a misguided and immature politician who not only insults the country’s reputation but also has no qualms about feeding “anti-India” forces abroad.
The Congress says that the BJP and its dreaded echo system have mastered the art of distorting and co-opting Rahul Gandhi’s speeches. But that has been going on for more than 10 years now, bringing unprecedented political benefits. So one cannot, from a purely political point of view, blame the BJP for its tactics. The question is: When will Rahul Gandhi stop hitting these goals he has set for himself? As the Leader of the Opposition, and the loudest anti-Modi voice in the country, he cannot simply shrug his shoulders and move on, as was his preferred course. He must accept that politics is also very focused on people’s perception.
And no one in his country, perhaps in the entire democratic world, should know this better than he. The kind of collective campaign of calumny and error he has faced over the past decades has few parallels in political history.
The fact that he survived this relentless attack is a tribute to his moral strength and the courage to be confident as he is, as he is happy to admit, and he is a political royalty who presides over a party that has stood firmly behind him, and where it has gone to unimaginable depths so far in two consecutive national elections.
But the endless mockery of the past has given way to Rahul Gandhi’s respect and admiration after the outcome of the June 2024 elections. Again, there is unanimous acceptance of his new status; that his most vociferous, committed and unwavering speech against the views and ideals represented by the BJP and the RSS.
As the BJP and its powerful spin industry ensure that the focus is on the embarrassing aspects of Rahul Gandhi’s US trip, some interesting remarks like “dar nikal gaya” (people are not afraid) and a 56-inch chest are cringing. he drowned in the feast. That is the power of the agenda and narrative setting. The sooner Rahul Gandhi realizes this, the better it will be for him and the cause of the Opposition.
The Opposition must also accept that the ruling coalition has a comfortable majority and looks stable and secure for the time being, pending major unexpected changes in the coalition’s figures. So, is the newfound optimism of the opposition an accurate assessment of political reality? Or is the growing talk (in the anti-BJP bloc) about this being the beginning of the end for the NDA a case of premature wishfulfillment? No one knows the answer, but this is a good time to examine the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi to take on the BJP.
Caste-based census seems to be one of the planks of the opposition party. And the government’s vague response led many to believe that this Mandal versus Kamandal pitfall could be the BJP’s Achilles heel. However, if it was specific, then what explains the poor showing of the opposition in Bihar, seen by many as the last bastion of ethnic politics? Apparently, the NDA alliance based on castes in the state (with Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi and BJP frontrunners) proved too strong.
And, as it always talks about social and caste justice, the Opposition parties should not completely let go of the aspirational youth and the middle class – many of whom think that the BJP and the Congress see little political use for them and that they have, as a result. , they were left to fend for themselves. This reservation about the redistribution of wealth also has its drawbacks. Framing politics as a zero-sum game can seem attractive in the heat of an electoral battle, but it is fraught with dangers. The goal should be to lift the majority of the population out of poverty, not threaten to make the rich poorer. Marxist and ultra-left thinking may not be productive in a young, aspirational world. After pitching his tent to the left of Nehruvian socialism, Rahul Gandhi risks alienating those who would like the country to remain in the middle ground.
Rahul Gandhi’s description of the BJP vs Congress contest as a clash of two different ideologies of India also puts a sharper perspective on the issue. The importance of the Indian concept cannot be overemphasized. But in analyzing the 2024 elections that are difficult and insightful, one does not get the sense that India is a decisive and high-profile issue among voters. Many people have talked about a radical campaign targeting Muslims and denied it, but one saw little evidence of a change in their voting pattern. Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition need to stay true to their vision of India, but they also need to respect Hindu beliefs and sensibilities, as the average Indian is not a liberal book.
The Constitution’s line of attack worked. Above all, it gained momentum on the reservation issue, and during the election campaign, one got a sense of growing discontent among the people about the BJP’s position on this issue. A mixture of arrogance and misuse of agencies and institutions to eliminate the Opposition (Maharashtra), distribution of tickets in one place with little care and respect for state leaders and local sensitivities (Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan) and fatigue and fight against governance best explains the 2024 result.
Buoyed by their performance and the BJP’s setback in the parliamentary elections, Rahul Gandhi and the opposition alliance seem to be in a promising place right now. But they would do well to remember that on the other hand they are political experts and 24×7 consummate politicians who will stop at nothing to snatch whatever advantage the opposition is currently getting.
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