WILL HE WALK THE TALK?

Last week Rahul Gandhi made a visit to Tamil Nadu in order to rejuvenate the ‘youth Congress’. Ever since the Congress led UPA has come back to power, Rahul Gandhi has constantly mentioned that he has two goals for the Congress party- 1) Build the Youth Congress & 2) Bring in democracy within the Congress..It may sound ironical that the Gandhi scion who himself is a product of ‘dynasty’ politics wants to alter the system on which his family legacy has been build in the last 62 years. But before Rahul Gandhi could even assimilate this idea, his first test has arrived.

The death of the charismatic YSR Reddy has come as a huge shock for the Congress party. And even before it could come to terms with reality, the Congress high command is already facing a huge dilemma. The call for making Jagan Mohan Reddy (YSR’s son) the next chief minister is getting louder in Andhra Pradesh. Under the interim arrangement, K Rosaiah has taken over the chief ministership till a decsion is taken by the Congress high command. Jagan Mohan Reddy is a 4 month old-first time MP, primarily known as YSR’s son. In the last 4 years he has converted his Rs 40 crore business into a massive Rs 5000 crore conglomerate. Being a chief minister’s son made his job easier as inflow of funds & getting projects was not a major hassle. This remains his only success story on the business front.

Similary the upcoming Maharshtra assembly elections is another classic example of dynastic politics.Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde wants a party ticket for his son in law while union Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is eyeing the Latur assembly seat candidature for his son Amit Deshmukh. Amit is not the first one to join politics from this generation as Deskhmkh’s younger son Dilp Deskmukh is already a minister in the current Ashok Chavan cabinet. But it is President Pratibha Patel’s lobbying for son Raosaheb Shekhawat’s candidature from the Amravati seat which is creating the maximum buzz.

Politics is like family business in India. Even in the current Union cabinet there are a plethora of ministers who are an outcome of ‘dynasty politics. Jyothiaditya Scindhia, Sachin Pilot, Jitin Prasada are epitomes of dynastic politics .Congress is not the only party that follows dynasty politics but definitely is the creator of this system which now persists across party lines. Even for the party it is a safe bet to allot ticket to a politician’s child as victory is assured in most cases. Tall leaders enjoy idol worhship & popularity which makes entry for the generation next very easy.

With this kind of a political atmosphere in the country where electoral gain presides over stengthening long term grass root level politics, Rahul Gandhi has a huge task ahead of him. He faces his first litmus test when the Congress party decides on the Andhra Pradesh chief ministership. Though, Rahul has evaded his question till now by stating that he is not part of the decision making body, it is a well know fact that no decision is taken by Sonia Gandhi without Rahul’s consent. He has so far turned down a minister’s post in the Union cabinet in order to set an example. It is not going to be an easy task to deny tickets & political positions for family members of regional leaders who enjoy huge support in their respective regions.

In Andhra Pradesh also YSR supporters want their beloved leader’s son as the next chief minister at any cost.If the party high command decides to turn down their request, it could lead to a split within the state Congress. When Indira Gandhi was assasinated in 1984, the party workers forced Rajiv Gandhi who at that time was a political novice to take over the Prime Ministership. So if Rajiv can then why not Reddy? These are the questions that Rahul Gandhi will have to tackle bearing in mind the reality of today’s politics.

The Congress has suffered in the past when the likes of Sharad Pawar & PA Sangma revolted against the Gandhi family for running the party. And if regional satraps are denied politicaal opportunites for their families, there is a peril of losing ground in their strong holds where the party relies heavily on local leaders. Rahul Gandhi faces his biggest challenge of rewriting the rules of game, which if successful could change the face of Indian politics.

ADVANI- FALL OF THE GIANT

In the beginning of 1990’s when the Ram Mandir movement was at its peak, Advani symbolized ‘Hindutva’, which many thought would change the future course of this country. From being the poster boy of Hindutva to the controversial ‘home minister’ during the NDA regime to being the prime minister in the waiting, Advani has gone through plethora of highs & lows.

But unfortunately for Advani who once described himself as the prime minister in the waiting, that wait has ended on an eternal note. His 60 years political career is almost over on an all time low. The rising star of the BJP in the 90’s has been reduced to a leader minus authority of a directionless party. Advani build the BJP from the scratch to one of the biggest political party that is now struggling to keep afloat.



Over Shadowed by Vajpayee-The BJP from the time of its birth has relied completely on Vajpayee & Advani. Their personalities were quite contrasting from each other but they managed to build the party into a strong political entity. If Advani was the mass leader who created ripples by taking out the Rath yatra in 1990 that bolstered BJP’s electoral prospects, Vajpayee emerged as the liberal face of the right wing party and managed to lead a complex coalition for 6 years that helped BJP taste power for the first time. But there was a major difference between the 2 leaders…

Credibility Factor- What is it that made Vajpayee a more acceptable face even though Advani was considered a more natural leader due to his mass appeal? Vajpayee was a ‘consensus builder’ who had the charisma to not only unify his party but also various political outfits cutting across ideologies & regions. Even though BJP was a rightist, pro- hindutva party, it was Vajpayee’s credibility that brought various centrist & left inclined parties under the NDA government for 6 years. Advani was a respectful leader but not a credible one. And that is what went against him. It was his inconsistencies that led to his downfall rather then factionalism as many would believe.

The Ayodhya failure- During the ‘Ram Rath Yathra’ in the 1990's, Advani kept emphasizing that the Ram temple would be build only at the ‘exact site’ in Ayodhya and no where else. The Babri mosque was demolished in 1992 which he described as a tragic event but that did make him the darling of the hardliners. When the NDA did come to power, many within the BJP wanted him to be the PM to fulfill the Hindutva vision which he had campaigned for all this while. But he was not acceptable to other allies within the NDA due to his hardliner’s image. And when in power, he failed to push any of the promises he made which thrashed the aspirations of many hardliners. He lost their support from that time.

Controversial Administrator- His stint as the Home minister & Deputy PM were marked by controversies. He failed to act during the Gujarat riots when thousands were killed during the communal riots. The state was burning but Advani as the 'home minister' failed to control the situation. This did not go down well with his allies. The Kandahar hijacking was another question mark on his ability to deliver during crunch situations. His inability to act during tough time’s projected his image of a ’weak’ administrator who lacked the potential to lead this country.



The Jinnah Controversy- His Jinnah remarks were yet again another sign of inconsistency. A man who through out lived on the idea of ‘Akhand Bharat’ (Undivided India) suddenly called Jinnah, (the hate symbol for the BJP) a secular person is something that even the most liberal intellectuals couldn’t digest. He had to pay a price by stepping down from the post of BJP president. But this was a big gamble that Advani played in order to change his image among the masses. He knew in order to become PM he had to be a more liberal face like Vajpayee. That gamble failed with the 2009 election defeat. The biggest blow for him was the loss of RSS support, his backbone, which all this while projected him as the 'Mascot' of Hindutva

2009 Election Debacle- He gave his best during the 2009 elections. He raised the political temperature by hitting out directly on Manmohan Singh, who all this while discharged his duties silently. The idea of attacking Manmohan Singh on the personality issue rather than governance also went against him. In the personality clash, Dr Singh emerged as the winner thanks to Congress's thumping victory

The Rise of the Rebels- Advani’s decision to stick around for some more time made his position even more vulnerable. His decision to reward the likes of Jaitleys, Swarajs gave way for rebellion & indiscipline within the party. The rebels questioned his authority which had emaciated within the party.

The Jaswant Fiasco- The final nail in the coffin was the sacking of his old friend & loyalist, Jaswant Singh. Ironically Jaswant Singh was the only one to back him staunchly in 2005 for his Jinnah comments. In all fairness to Advani even if he wanted to defend Jaswant Singh, it was not possible because hardliners like Modi & Katiyar wanted some tough action. And Advani needed their support for survival at least till he makes a gracious exit.

Advani will no doubt be remembered as one of the strongest leaders who changed the face of Indian polity in the 1990's His political career was scripted by the RSS, which made him a hero. While Vajpayee made a gracious exit on his own terms, Advani had to be shown the door in a polite manner by the same RSS. Leaving a stable BJP behind would be the best way to say goodbye to his long & adventurous political career. He is known to be a fighter, but winning this final battle of his political career would be a task…