10 January 2014, 07:26 PM IST
Precious little is known about Priyanka Gandhi's brief and impromptu encounter last Tuesday with senior Congress managers who had gathered at her brother Rahul's residence — in his absence — to deliberate on the tour programmes of the president and vice-president of the party. Yet it generated much-frenzied speculation that party bigwigs tried to scotch. More revealing, however, was how they justified her powwow with them.
One of the functionaries, Janardan Dwivedi, who attended the meeting, argued that she is a "member of an important political family" and "an active member of the Indian National Cong-ress"; she has been "looking after election work in Amethi and Rae Bareli" (constituencies of her brother and mother); she has "her own opinions on political issues" which she "has been discussing with party workers from time to time". These were sound enough qualifications, in Dwivedi's eyes, for her to engage with senior leaders of the party.
A charitable way to respond to the argument would be to say that this is, alas, what Congress is: a party whose fortunes are inextricably linked to the fortunes of Gandhi family. A less charitable way would be to point out that a larger political role for another member of Gandhi family — if she consents to play one at all — doesn't quite rhyme with Rahul Gandhi's oft-stated desire to rid the dynastic stranglehold over his party. This is indeed the reason he gave for forsaking marriage.
But before one casts a stone at him, it is well to remember that barring BJP, Left parties and now AAP, all other political formations are run either by a single individual or a single family. Even exceptions to the rule do not hesitate to join forces with caudillos and dynasts. So, for them to target Priyanka on this count would be tantamount to doublespeak.
A larger question of course is whether her active participation in the forthcoming campaign for general elections — a matter that has still to be settled — would make a difference to her party's performance. She has certainly won much public admiration in the two constituencies where she has worked, even if the record of Congress in past elections to UP assembly and to Parliament has been uneven. Her charisma, skills as an orator and personal touch — not to mention her instant association with the image of her grandmother Indira Gandhi — also endear her to party cadres. She is therefore better placed than either her brother or her mother to galvanise their energies.
But then she has a millstone around her neck in the shape of her husband Robert Vadra's sullied reputation. You can trust both opposition parties and media to raise this issue at each one of her public appearances. She would be damned if she evades it and damned if she doesn't. For anti-corruption has emerged as arguably the most important matter of concern to the electorate. Rahul, taking a cue from the phenomenal success of AAP, has acknowledged as much.
After his party's drubbing in four state elections, he has vowed to create a comprehensive framework to contain this menace. However, his efforts — along with others in the offing such as a far-reaching rejig in the organisation — would come to nought so long as Vadra continues to hover in the wings. A consolation — a woefully poor one — would be if other parties allow tainted politicians to enter the electoral fray.
That is not all. Should Priyanka hit the campaign trail, she would have to contend with a strong and pervasive anti-Cong-ress mood in the country. Narendra Modi continues to effectively exploit it to his advantage though in parts of urban India AAP has begun to steal his thunder. The best that Congress can hope for in these circumstances is for parties opposed to it to split anti-Congress vote and, in the process, ensure, at the very least, that Modi is kept out of the reckoning for the prime minister's job.
That hope as of now is a chimera. But, as Mark Tully observes, there are no full stops in India. Priyanka hasn't said the last word about her intentions. She hasn't uttered even the first one so far.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Much ado about Priyanka
Dengan url
http://osteoporosista.blogspot.com/2014/01/much-ado-about-priyanka.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Much ado about Priyanka
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar