Project Rahul Gandhi 4.0 with political NAC
Photo credit Twitter Bharat Jodo
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, September 21: United Progressive Alliance governments led by Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister during 2004-09 and 2009-14 walked with twin crutches – super powerful allies and the National Advisory Council (NAC).
In the first term, the CPI (M) often barked, threatening to bite, and Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat saw the full might of their power, pushing Congress into the lap of the Left.
Sonia Gandhi headed the NAC. She packed the advisory body with all the jholawallahs, the managers of the NGOs, who had earned identities in key areas. The NAC dictated policy matters to the Central government.
The Ministers in the UPA government would often be full of ears to the NAC members than their officials or even the MPs of Congress.
The twin crutches eventually took Congress to its political grave.
For over eight years now, Congress is without power at the Centre, and barring Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh the Opposition party isn’t in power in any major state. Yes, it’s back in power in Bihar with JD (U), but remains a fringe player.
Now, attempts are being made to forcibly bring Congress out of the political ICU.
The doctors’ desperate SOS prescription essentially again banks on two pills – shield Gandhis by replicating NAC for party affairs and roll out Rahul Gandhi 4.0.
The NAC avatar in Congress would essentially consist of the Gandhis and their loyalists and Ashok Gehlot would be the Manmohan Singh for the party as its chief.
True, Sonia Gandhi had to quit her Lok Sabha membership due to office of profit issue being the chairperson of the NAC, but that she retained after Parliament made changes in the rules.
Needless to say, Gehlot would be face and also a punching bag for all the failures, while Gandhis can run the show of the party, as the G23, already numbers are down, would become defunct.
Congress had launched Rahul Gandhi in 2009, 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. So, Project Rahul Gandhi 2.0 and Rahul Gandhi 3.0 have already been disastrous.
Now, Rahul Gandhi 4.0 is not about an angry man. It’s about a politician who is middle-aged, with grey beard, who wears t-shirt and sports shoes. He is physically fit. He often smiles. He is all ears to people around him, He shakes hands with children and walks with them. He holds short discussions. He enquires about the people and their sufferings.
Rahul Gandhi 4.0 is about a compassionate politician.
People in India are now bored from anger and the angry young man concept, for that’s been done to the death by television anchors to such an extent that they now look like entertaining monkeys. So, the angry young man model is useless.
There’s too much of noise in the discourse. People are staying away from television news channels or watching them mute if unavoidable. So, Rahul Gandhi walks for the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and stays away from giving speeches.
About The Author
Very good content with historical political background.
Appreciate coverage