This should rank as one of the most shameful statements ever made in Indian politics.
The proud entitled Nehru-Gandhi princess on a stage, taking out her anger on the humble Congress worker.
I am not a Congress supporter, but this cannot stop me for feeling bad for the Congress workers who would have been listening to her speech and would be expected to raise their hands in agreement at the end of it.
And where does she make this statement? In Raebareli! The bastion that has voted for the Congress for decades. By all accounts, the neighbouring seats of Raebareli and Amethi are among the least developed places in India. Yet, for election after election, these would be the people who sacrificed their own future because of an emotional attachment with the Nehru-Gandhi family. They lived in extreme hardship every day of their lives only to catch a glimpse of the family once every five years.
And now, for the princess to waltz in and “talk tough” with them. It hurts to see any human being treated this way.
And it’s not even smart politics. At least we settled one debate here. We now know which of the siblings has worse political instincts. Observe at least two minutes of silence for every commentator, every columnist and courtier who waxed eloquent about the political genius and charisma of Priyanka Gandhi. No, she wasn’t the Congress’ trump card, hidden away all these years for use at the most opportune moment. If anything, being more sheltered from active politics than her brother has made her more entitled and arrogant.
Speaking of which, where is Rahul Gandhi? I have no idea. I read some people saying that he is holidaying abroad. He was reportedly sulking for a while, but those reports evaporated after he received a 3-page letter of appreciation from Sonia ji for his efforts in the election.
This is bad form. It seems Rahul is not even here to dwell on the reasons for the defeat. As temperatures soar all across India, they say he is off to cooler climes. And for the humble Congress worker, as if the heat and dust of Raebareli was not enough, they are facing the heat from Priyanka Gandhi’s tough talk.
Again, it hurts to see any human being treated like this.
On top of that, there are “reports” of this kind that are now surfacing. This article went viral yesterday.
The article suggests that some members of Rahul’s team presented bills of crores of rupees, fed him with absurd claims of 180+ seats and disappeared after the election. Even worse, it alleges that top Congress leaders who might have a better ground picture were either ignored or made to feel small. And that many were scared to tell the prince the truth.
Because of the speculative nature of this “report”, it is impossible to know whether any or all of this is true. But if true, it would say more about the feudal culture of the Congress and how the party came to be so out of touch with the masses. We also do not know if such reports are being planted to put the blame on “members of the team” rather than the family itself.
The one thing that stands out is that the family won’t take any blame. And they might even believe this in their hearts. That it was really all the fault of others.
It was clear on the day Rahul Gandhi blamed party chief ministers such as Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot. That the blame would keep rolling downhill. Shortly thereafter, CM Ashok Gehlot put blame on his Deputy CM Sachin Pilot. Not surprisingly, the buck finally stopped with blaming the ordinary Congress worker. Because the Congress worker is the most voiceless, the least powerful of all.
India is changing. The Gandhis ruled for 60 years by passing the buck downwards. Why did India become an economic basket case under Nehru? Nothing to do with Nehru or his central planners or the quasi-Communist state they set up. It was all the fault of ordinary Hindus and their passive attitude towards life. The “Hindu rate of growth” kind of explanation might have worked then, but it won’t work now. Passing the buck downwards won’t work any more. Because those at the bottom will leave in droves.
Even Raebareli is gone for Congress in the 2024 election. That is a given.
