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10 December 2013
NEW DELHI, INDIA - After being literally mowed down by AAP in the polls in Delhi, (Read: Congress routed by IITian, Kejriwal led AAP ) Rahul Gandhi, the son of Sonia Gandhi, Congress Party's president promised again to revamp India's oldest political vehicle.
The 43-year-old heir to India’s most famous political dynasty doesn't have the advantage of time to mend the loopholes of the government as Congress' popularity wanes due to political shenanigans because national polls are due in May 2014. His party has won 12 of 29 regional polls since he became a prominent campaigner in 2009, raising doubts about whether he can replicate the success of his ancestors.
Judging by the goings on in the elections, Congress is likely to lose the elections next year with Rahul Gandhi becoming a liability rather than an asset for Congress. The people of India are already openly questioning his directives.
Rahul was first elected to parliament in 2004 and has faced high expectations since - he hails from a presidential family, a dynasty.
His great-grandfather was Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister and an independence hero. Indira Gandhi, his grandmother, led the country for more than 15 years before her assassination in 1984.
She was succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul’s father, who lost power in 1989 and was killed by a suicide bomber two years later. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul’s mother, became president of the party in 1998, a post she still retains. Rahul took the vice president position in January.
When put in charge of state campaigns, however, he has struggled to deliver.
Rahul led Congress to defeat in Uttar Pradesh last year and later dubbed the loss as a very good lesson.
Twenty months later, with his mother by his side, Rahul Gandhi again pledged to change the 128-year party. He told reporters that he’s privately been asking party workers to find ways to empower voters, and vowed to now make this the central goal of his leadership.
“The Congress party has the ability to transform itself,” Gandhi said on December 8, without providing details. “We are going to do a better job than everyone in the country and involve people in ways that you cannot even imagine now.”
Narendra Modi, the BJP prime minister candidate, has contrasted his childhood spent serving tea on the railways with Rahul Gandhi’s more privileged upbringing. At a campaign rally in September, Modi urged voters to prevent the country from being “run on the whims of a prince”, referring to Rahul Gandhi being born with a silverspoon and him rising up in politics merely because he is from a dynastic family.
Gandhi needs to show more determination to lead the party and include more advisers from regional areas to ward off growing resentment, according to Sandeep Shastri, pro-vice chancellor of Jain University in Bangalore, who helped conduct opinion polls during the state elections.
“Questions are being raised within the party in private circles about his capacity to lead,” Shastri said. “Congress men and women are getting concerned about how you deal with a leadership that is not able to inspire confidence. Gandhi really needs to test his leadership and get into the rough and tumble of national politics.”
The 43-year-old heir to India’s most famous political dynasty doesn't have the advantage of time to mend the loopholes of the government as Congress' popularity wanes due to political shenanigans because national polls are due in May 2014. His party has won 12 of 29 regional polls since he became a prominent campaigner in 2009, raising doubts about whether he can replicate the success of his ancestors.
Judging by the goings on in the elections, Congress is likely to lose the elections next year with Rahul Gandhi becoming a liability rather than an asset for Congress. The people of India are already openly questioning his directives.
Rahul was first elected to parliament in 2004 and has faced high expectations since - he hails from a presidential family, a dynasty.
His great-grandfather was Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister and an independence hero. Indira Gandhi, his grandmother, led the country for more than 15 years before her assassination in 1984.
She was succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul’s father, who lost power in 1989 and was killed by a suicide bomber two years later. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul’s mother, became president of the party in 1998, a post she still retains. Rahul took the vice president position in January.
When put in charge of state campaigns, however, he has struggled to deliver.
Rahul led Congress to defeat in Uttar Pradesh last year and later dubbed the loss as a very good lesson.
Twenty months later, with his mother by his side, Rahul Gandhi again pledged to change the 128-year party. He told reporters that he’s privately been asking party workers to find ways to empower voters, and vowed to now make this the central goal of his leadership.
“The Congress party has the ability to transform itself,” Gandhi said on December 8, without providing details. “We are going to do a better job than everyone in the country and involve people in ways that you cannot even imagine now.”
Narendra Modi, the BJP prime minister candidate, has contrasted his childhood spent serving tea on the railways with Rahul Gandhi’s more privileged upbringing. At a campaign rally in September, Modi urged voters to prevent the country from being “run on the whims of a prince”, referring to Rahul Gandhi being born with a silverspoon and him rising up in politics merely because he is from a dynastic family.
Gandhi needs to show more determination to lead the party and include more advisers from regional areas to ward off growing resentment, according to Sandeep Shastri, pro-vice chancellor of Jain University in Bangalore, who helped conduct opinion polls during the state elections.
“Questions are being raised within the party in private circles about his capacity to lead,” Shastri said. “Congress men and women are getting concerned about how you deal with a leadership that is not able to inspire confidence. Gandhi really needs to test his leadership and get into the rough and tumble of national politics.”
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