ABANDONING THE SINKING SHIP

RAHUL'S LEAVE IS THE LAST THING THAT THE CONGRESS WANTED

A good captain never abandons the ship even if it means that he has to go down with it. Unfortunately though, it looks like Baba never learnt this lesson while in school. What else can explain the latest amongst the 'unending' list of blunders that the MP from Amethi has committed over the past one year. Even as the Congress was planning to use the opposition against the Land Acquisition Bill as a comeback tool to counter the Modi regime particularly after the setback it suffered in the national capital, Rahul's absence has only made the matters worse for the Congress. Forget attacking the BJP over the 'short comings' of the above mentioned bill on the floor of the Lok Sabha, the INC spokespersons had a tough time defending the antics of their Vice President who seems to have a natural flare for 'messing up things'.

As per some theories doing the rounds, the Gandhi scion is quite unhappy with the fact he does not have a free hand within the party structure headed by his ailing mother as yet. It is believed that Rahul wants to completely revamp the party structure, throw out the old guard and bring in 'fresh' blood so as to rejuvenate the 130 year old outfit which is literally struggling for its survival. Though most of his 'innovative' ideas failed to yield any sort of result in the May 2014 General Polls, the younger Gandhi and his coterie of followers believe that this is the way to go for the INC. Like many, the party president herself seems to be rather unimpressed. With Sonia refusing to give into his demands, Rahul has decided to make his displeasure public by going on a two week long 'sabbatical' as a sign of protest.

However, the loyalists have a different take on this. They believe that Rahul who is soon to be anointed as the President of the grand old party in the coming month has taken a 'break' to reflect on things and contemplate on ideas that he would like to implement after he takes over. Now, this is hilarious, isn't it? Firstly, does the MP from Amethi even have the caliber to hold a post that was once occupied by great men by Jawaharlal Nehru, Lokmanya Tilak or Netaji Subash Chandra Bose; In my opinion, the answer to that question is a 'No'. Of course, the loyalists will point out that post independence, the only qualification to be a Congress President is to be born in the Nehru-Gandhi family and Baba fulfills this criteria. Even if we chose to ignore that for the time being, what shocks me is that the move to go on leave on the eve of the Budget session, considering the moribound state of affairs in the party. Rahul should have personally led the attack on the government; after all, the Land Acquisition Bill introduced by the UPA in 2013 was said to be his brain child. By excusing himself from the Parliament at this critical juncture, the 'soon-to-be' President of the Congress has let another opportunity to lead a revival slip out of his hands.

At the heart of this debate is when will Baba grow up. The Gandhi scion is in mid 40s now and his report card is dismal. Though Congress leaders would like the nation to look upon him as a 'youth icon', he is certainly not that. The Indian youth today are confident in making tough decisions and are not scared of taking accountability of their actions, much unlike Rahul. It is high time that the Gandhi scion sheds his 'reluctant politician' tag and takes up his job more seriously; else his 'short-lived' career in politics would also bring down the curtains on India's oldest political party.