“Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress… but I repeat myself”
– Mark Twain
Admittedly, Mark Twain wasn’t talking about the Indian National Congress, but the quote fits so perfectly, especially given the man who leads INC today, that it is often hard to resist. Rahul Gandhi’s team of cheerleaders are like those elderly women in the family who cheer and get immensely enthused when a toddler learns to walk or speak. This man’s cerebral entourage is one of the biggest and best in the world and still he mumbles and falters like a new infant.
Ironically, the people are running with the torch for Rahul are intellectuals, journalists, economists and many learned people from various fields. One could perhaps empathise with the ideals and the philosophy of the party, but to cheer for this man-child whose educational qualifications, oratory skills and most importantly the skill for the job is highly questionable, is a trait that has me foxed everytime one sees it being played out.
It almost seems like it has been the tradition of the Congress party to make leaders out of interns in training. Indira Gandhi, post the death of Nehru was sceptical, unsure and a ‘work in progress’ when she was declared as the queen to the throne. Similar was the case of Rajiv Gandhi, who by his own admission was a reluctant politician. When the mother died, a pilot was made the Prime Minister of the largest democracy in the world. For such a coveted chair it would normally be thought, that a person would need to be skilled enough, but clearly, the crowned prince and princess’ of Congress, don’t need it.
Rahul Gandhi is an enigma for me. This man literally functions with very little or limited knowledge of the judiciary, executive and the legislative. This is just not me, every learned mind of Congress also would share the same belief but if they are trying to say otherwise, then they are plain trying to fool someone or just stifling a big dollop of laughter, in their own confines.
To hoist this half man half child to the most coveted chair in the country, everything that was ever revered by the greatest minds of history is being dragged on the streets, just so that baba gets to play King of the country. This can only be backed by the fact, that some of the biggest loyalists of Congress didn’t support the shameful Impeachment drama orchestrated by the menial attention seekers of Congress. He is the same Rahul Gandhi, who in the run to the 2014 elections in an interview to a very celebrated journalist, answered every question with ‘women empowerment’ and ‘youth motivation’; because that was what was taught to him. He was almost like a child who was being out of syllabus questions and had to fill in the blanks with gibberish just to ensure the length of the answer is acceptable.
Politics has always been a game of tug of war between those in power and those in opposition; that is what keeps democracy alive. But when the hunger for power turns the opposition into scavengers sacrificing the ethos, morality and the judicial system of the country, it is a trend any self-respecting nation would fear.
The brutality of the scavenging is such that they don’t mind colourising or politicising even the tragic rape and murder of an 8-year-old old. Suddenly, they stand with placards, trying to shame “Hindustan” and “Hindus”. The ignorant morons don’t seem to understand that by using the word Hindustan to malign the majority population of Hindus, what they are essentially doing is shaming the nation in front of the entire world. How does one uphold the image of the nation when the majority population is maligned? How does one a nation survive if a band of clowns, led by a bigger one, makes it their political mission to demonise 80% of the population (give or take) and in the process, malign the nation they wish to lead?
What the band of jokers led by Rahul Gandhi has done, is that they have managed to polarise the nation and communalise something as heinous as rapes. The Kathua rapist was a Hindu, The Ghaziabad rapist was a Muslim, and what Rahul has done, is turned the discussion around crimes against women, into a saffron vs green debate. Hindus should be ashamed for Kathua. Muslims should be ashamed for Geeta (if the same logic is applied), and in the process, the nation weeps.
In a country of more than 120 crore people, there can be varied views and several options to choose a leader to power. For many, Narendra Modi might not be the chosen one, but that does not mean that Rahul Gandhi can be an alternative; because if at all this happens, then it will be a massive beginning to an indisputable end.
