Facebook memes are a hot trend this season! One of it, which made me laugh nonstop was the video of Rahul Gandhi form his recent Gujarat election rally speech, quoting that he will make such a machine in which if you put potato from one side, gold would come out from another side. It had an interesting caption that read :- when teacher forces you to go on stage and speak whatever comes to your mind… It left me wondering if it is really the Vice President of the oldest party of the country, speaking?… Weird!
The next day, my news notification read that he has filed the nomination paper for the post of Congress party President and has come out unchallenged. That is; he is set to be the new Congress President overtaking his mother Sonia Gandhi. Great.. There is no prize for guessing, I was speechless.
Of late, contrary to what I actually am, I have started taking interest in politics, political parties’ demographics and the hyped life of politicians( I blame my work for it, wherein I am in constantly brushing sides with twitter accounts, speeches and news alert of Indian political playground). I have recently read few books which portray the Congress party and Gandhis’ in never before unseen avatar through its various anecdotes, which is not known to the public.
It had details about the Congress party after independence, its crusade against failure after the death of its two most competent leaders Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and its struggle to keep its foothold in the nation.
It was a battle of keeping the legacy and reputation of the century-old party intact, which had the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the helm of the organisation, when reluctantly, after much coaxing, Sonia Gandhi took over as the party President after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. While the opposition had full doubts on her leadership qualities, with an excuse of her Italian origin, she was successful in shutting their mouths in two massive victories in 2004 and 2009.
It was a case of a double-edged sword for Sonia Gandhi when she took up the post of Party president. She was looked upon as a foreigner and had no clue about the schematic environment of Indian politics. Not only did she never wanted to enter into the political alley but she was also dead against her husband entering into the politics and then becoming the PM after Indira Gandhi’s death. She held her reservation, when she rejected the offer of becoming the Prime Minister of the largest democracy and chose to be Party President instead.
Amidst controversies, scams, failures and successes, Sonia Gandhi has put up her best efforts in keeping the Congress party alive through tumultuous years after her taking over and has served for a long period of 19 years.
Though inexperienced she did train her son to step into her shoes, when the time demanded and also may be the chair of the PM one day.
It is now the chance of the most targeted progeny of the Gandhi dynasty, Mr Rahul Gandhi to take the baton in his hand, and to ably prove his mettle.
Rahul Gandhi was settled in London doing a job in a management consultancy firm before he had to move to India to support her widowed mother who was left alone after her sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra married. As a grandson of the Prime Minister and the dangers hovering over the Gandhi clan, he did have a troubled life amidst security restrictions. It won’t be wrong to say that his condition was akin to his father’s wherein both had to move to India leaving their well-settled career to enter into politics.
While he was still sheltered being the Vice president of the party till now, it’s the crucial time when he will have to take every step cautiously, lest the party may fall into grave danger.
Rahul Gandhi, the next to be President of the party seems to be the only one in the foray (being the Gandhi progeny) who is expected to climb the throne, steeping into Sonia’s shoes. He came into Indian politics in 2004 through Amethi constituency and was made the Vice-president in 2013.
The road ahead is going to be full of challenges and troubles for him as he is always on the hit-list of not only the opposition but also the public who is never reluctant on mocking his irresponsible acts and illogical speeches. Undoubtedly he is one of the favourite characters of the jokes and memes which circulate in the web circles.
It would be interesting to see if the scion of the Gandhi clan is able to prove his mettle in the emerging political scenario.