The BJP found another narrative to bask in on the strength of the Modi Government’s numerous yojanas including Ujwala, LPG and Pradhan Mantri Awaas. People who benefited from these yojanas voted for Modi and those who yearned and expected to benefit from them in the future also voted for him. Amidst these aspirations, the fact that there were no “concrete” jobs did not matter.

Also, what helped Modi post such an emphatic victory was the Congress party’s inability to put the focus on Modi’s negatives, which were not very different from that of the RSS’s faults including the not so subtle departure from secularism and descent into sectarianism. Rahul Gandhi made Rafale the centre-piece of his campaign and quite in keeping with his “hindsight disappointment”, no Congress leader of note picked up Rafale to make a campaign issue of it. It was only Rahul Gandhi who flew solo asking people at his rallies to chant ‘ChorHai’ after his ‘Chowkidar’ cue.

But irrespective of who among the second and third rung Congress leaders picked up the chant, “ChowkidarChorHai” did not click with the voters and cost the Congress heavy because people by and large did not believe Modi could be a thief, such is Modi’s “incorruptible” reputation.

Rahul Gandhi has now acknowledged that he is responsible for the debacle. Whether or not he’s sincere when he insists that he wants to quit and should not be replaced by a Gandhi, the Congress Working Committee should accept the decision as fait accompli and help him find a replacement for himself and also help him reorganize the party into a lean and mean fighting machine.

The old guard of the Congress does not want Rahul Gandhi to step down and they seem to have succeeded in convincing him to stay on “till a right face” is found to replace him. As of now that “right face” has not been found and if not found now whether one will be found in the near future is uncertain. There have been a slew of resignation letters of state-level leaders landing on the Congress president’s desk and Rahul blames Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot of losing the woods for the tree because of their love for their sons in the fray.

In effect, and ironically, Rahul is calling them “dynasts”. But even as we speak, the Congress is in trouble in several states where it is in government. There is Karnataka and there’s Madhya Pradesh and there is Rajasthan where the Gehlot-Pilot tussle never quite went away after Gehlot was chosen Chief Minister over the more popular Pilot. Rahul Gandhi should be on his legs engaged in sorting out Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh and give clear directions on Rajasthan instead of sulking in his New Delhi residence.

And Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi should leave their son and brother to his own devices, instead of being all around him and confusing him with obvious persuasion and not-so-obvious hints. The CWC and senior Congress leaders are maybe genuine in their intent in not wanting to see an “unseemly tussle” breaking out among Congressmen wanting to step into Rahul’s shoes.

It is a fact there are coteries around Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi who do not want Rahul to resign for their own reasons and maybe Rahul Gandhi wants to break out of these conundrums, but sees that the opposition he faces comes from his own family. The women are protective of not just Rahul but also like mother hens of the brood yet to come of age. The future of the family/dynasty is at stake.

And while the uncertainty on the Congress president’s post continues, there is also the one on the Leader of the Opposition’s in the Lok Sabha. LOP in the 16th Lok Sabha Malikarjun Kharge lost the elections and a replacement is in order. But even with 52 seats, the Congress still falls short of the required number. That said the Congress has the most number of seats among the opposition parties and will likely have to shoulder the responsibility. The question then boils down to “Who?”

Can Rahul Gandhi be convinced by his party to take on the LOP’s post, convince him that he should place himself as challenger to Modi right from the word go? He could then quit the presidency of the party and still stay relevant as the 2024 Prime Ministerial face of the Congress and possibly of the combined Opposition. Such a stance will also help the Congress in the several elections lined up between now and 2024. (IPA Service)