Whatever reason may be his action has simply harmed the interest of the Congress. The Congressmen across the country are confused. Though his sister Priyanka has taken the lead and moving across to raise the morale of the party-men, Rahul undeniably has let them down. His stray actions, issuing statement and visiting places where the protesters are sitting on dharna, has not gone well with the people. Rahul keeping aloof might not have harmed the party if he had resigned from the leadership totally.

He was perceived to be the public face of the party; an embodiment of the legacy of the party which is why his absence from the scene is being felt intensely. By resigning as the president he would have tried to uphold the basic tenet of transparency and accountability in politics, but it is noticed nothing substantial has changed in the Congress after he quit.

He was seen as setting the agenda with a combative campaign and in December when he led the Congress to victory in elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, many said he had brought the party back into the reckoning. But it not last long. It proved to be short lived. Rahul has to some amount of introspection as to why his initiatives and efforts bring about significant change in the party.

.Janata Dal (United) leader and political strategist Prashant Kishor may appear to a political non-entity to sermon Rahul about how to guide his party. But his suggestion to Rahul Gandhi to communicate with senior members in the party and ask the state governments where the Congress is in power to say no to the NRC should have been taken seriously. In a nonviolent movement this is the most effective tool. Already similar sentiments have been expressed by the Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. Of course Modi and his government would threaten to take action like imposing president’s rule, but that would only add to the strength of the party and its government.

He even thanked Rahul for joining citizens’ movement against CAA and NRC. He observed “We hope you will impress upon the Congress to officially announce that there will be No NRC in the Congress-ruled states,"

The JD(U) leader’s statement came a day after top Congress leadership, led by interim party president Sonia Gandhi, sat on a Satyagraha for Unity at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat.

Congress leaders and activists assert that he is an emotional person, but he ought to understand the fundamentals of realpolitik. Unable to check the manipulative politics of some of the leaders of his party he quit, though personally he wanted the party to follow the high standard of morality. No doubt during his presidency the party managed to gain some ground, but the fact remains that it failed to rebuild the party structure and restore the trust level.

Not a single day passes when her sister Priyanka does not interact with the protesters, visits the residences of the victims of the police repression. Rahul might have resigned as the chief, but he has not abandoned and denounced the party. Like Priyanka he could have toured the states and coordinate with the state level leaders and cadres and guide them.

Public movements usually throw new leaders and strengthens and provides new dimension and energy to the political parties. Almost all the parties have born out of the womb of the peoples’ movements. The Congress could well have strived to regain its lost ground and emerge as a refurbished organisation. But it does not appear to be happening. In almost all the stats the party has been local leaders of other parties for directions. This is indeed a pathetic scenario.

In private conversations, party workers describe Gandhi as a "simple" man who lacks the "wiliness and cunning of his rival". This is really a good omen. But it does not mean that he should abandon his activities. His primary task has been to ameliorate the condition and raise the level of confidence of the people in the party. Recent developments show that peoples’ confidence in Congress continues to be low. He must reach out to the people and assert himself. It would be naïve to expect that he would bring out a change in the functional culture of the party.

There has long been a school of thought among some Congress enthusiasts that Priyanka might be the Gandhi to save the political dynasty. For whatever reason, she has been reluctant to take on that mantle. The siblings are believed to be close and it is unlikely she will be part of any plan that would see him pushed out. But she may well take on a bigger role in working with and supporting him.

Congress leaders claim that he has all the right qualities to make an "excellent" leader and of course future prime minister. But Rahul’s working style future perception does not reflect this perception. The leadership quality must get reflected which is sad enough does not get manifest in his actions. His political actions and speeches do not manifest maturity. Basically this is the reason that Narendra Modi and Amit Shah continue to address him ‘Pappu’, ‘Shehzada’, ‘Naamdaar’, ‘Rahul Baba’.

Though a number of opposition parties having strong base and public support are operating in the country, the fact remains that the Congress remains the only alternative political party with a pan-India presence, and therefore, would be the "natural fulcrum" for any national alliance. But unfortunately this does not appear to be happening.

It is a known fact that the Congress is not getting any direction. The leadership should have put its best to resurrect it. But ironically no concrete move has been initiated. The leadership continues to grope in dark. This has failed to enthuse the leaders of other secular and democratic parties.

Rahul Gandhi equated the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) with the demonetisation of November 2016. But the reality is CAA and NRC are more grievous and harmful to the Constitution and survival of the country. These are aimed at transforming India into Hindu Rashtra. (IPA Service)