The Congress had from May 19, the last voting day and the final phase of polling, to May 23, when votes were counted and results declared, to get used to the idea that the Congress and the rest of the Opposition would be biting the dust. But it appears like the Congress was too rattled, especially Congress president Rahul Gandhi, by the expected results.

It seems for far too long Rahul was convinced that Modi was in the dock and he (Rahul) had got him (Modi) identified. It was only towards the fag end of the month-long election process that he and the Congress realized they were always on thin ice.

The ice cracked May 19 and May 23 was only a reminder. That evening went off well. Rahul Gandhi gave a short and sweet concession speech and it resonated well with the Congress base and generally went well with the rest of the country, too. The reactions ranged from “gracious” to “goodness gracious me.”

But then came the first CWC after the bruising defeat and by then somebody had put it into Rahul Gandhi’s head that he should “resign”; that it would be the right thing to do. Of course, it was calculated that once Rahul Gandhi resigned, it would be promptly rejected and that would be the end of it.

The CWC would express its confidence in Rahul Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi would accede to their request and the Congress would grind on to the next crisis. But apparently Congress leaders, it seems, are yet to learn the sort of man Rahul Gandhi is.

They did not expect him to shut himself in his residence and refuse to meet anybody; that he would train guns on Kamalnath and Ashok Gehlot for limiting their aspirations to only those of their sons. And even after this obvious displeasure expressed by the “Congress President”, the two are still sticking to their posts.

They should have offered their resignations! What does it mean that they did not? Are they cocking a snook at a defeated Congress President? Were they not cocking a snook at the Congress President when they concentrated on only campaigning for their respective sons? They seemed to be not very impressed by Congress President Rahul Gandhi then, and not very impressed by Congress President Rahul Gandhi now.

And Rahul Gandhi refusing to get out of his self-imposed exile, open the shut door to his locked residence, does not seem to matter to these two Congress satraps and chief ministers. Rahul Gandhi’s only contact with the party and the outside world is the electronic media, which are having a field day trying to make sense of Rahul and his reign.

There are as many Rahul stories doing the rounds at any one time as there are media, among which there are pro and anti-Rahul media. And among the “anti” are many which the Congress has been boycotting for months. These media had found “Congress supporters” to question during primetime, men and women who claimed to be speaking for the Congress.

Now shut behind a door and with time on his hands, Rahul Gandhi has been listening and watching primetime programmes, especially those on him, and he does not like what Congress spokespersons, genuine and otherwise, are talking about him and his “resignation”. Maybe every time he hears what “Congress supporters” Nishant Verma or a Tehseen Poonawala speak in his defence, he must be throwing a fit at what he’s hearing.

Result: The Congress has put a stop to Congress participation in television debates “for a month” and it applies both to authorized Congress spokespersons and Congress supporters doubling up as Congress mouthpieces. Not only has Rahul Gandhi withdrawn into a shell, he has forced the Congress party into a shell.(IPA Service)