Rahul’s Halla Bol

Rahul Gandhi’s determination stands out; but he needs to hone up his organising skills

The most conspicuous feature of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday was his aggressiveness. While his party is falling apart, with senior leaders walking out, yet, unruffled by these developments, he was out to convince his cadres that Congress can defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the battle of 2024. There were various sub-themes in Gandhi’s speech: the BJP is spreading anger and hatred in the country; the entire media is in control by the BJP because it (the media) is largely owned by “two businessmen”; these two businessmen are the only persons whom Modi works for and who have gained in the last eight years; the Government is undermining institutions.

Gandhi’s determination stands out; now he has to hone his skills to hold his party together and cobble a coalition against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. His speech may boost the morale of the rank and file of the grand old party which has been facing defeats in the polls, and that may be the necessary condition for its revival, but it is not the sufficient condition. For it takes more than fiery speeches and spirited cadres to revive a political party that has been facing one setback after the other for quite some time. The need of the hour, from the Opposition’s perspective, is coherence and consistency in the efforts of various anti-BJP leaders. That is not much perceptible though.

Come to think of it, the Opposition is not clear even about the anti-BJP front all of them desire so ardently. Would it be a third front, comprising all non-Congress parties? Or would it be some kind of mahagathbandhan that would include most, if not all, non-BJP parties, including the Congress? Who would lead or spearhead that? Would there be a thread of some principle or a set of principles that would bind all anti-BJP parties? If not, how would such a hodgepodge fare with the electorate? If yes, what kind of thread would that be? Nobody knows the answers. Anti-Modi slogans and smart one-liners are poor substitute for a principled coalition.

Then there is the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s persistence. While Modi and other BJP leaders are known for diligence and doggedness, Gandhi is yet to prove his mettle as an election winner. Some anti-BJP leaders are also seen as casual. Consider the case of Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party supporting Shrikant Tyagi, a notorious goon whose misdeeds have gone viral. How on earth can such a party expect to be taken seriously by the voters in Uttar Pradesh? In short, Gandhi and other Opposition leaders must realise that they have to do much more than organise rallies and engage smart social media teams. They should not lose sight of the fact that they are pitted against a party that has at its disposal a well-oiled election machine.

Source: The Pioneer