Dr Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao
When getting washed away in a high intensity flooded water, they say, people will try to hold on to a straw with the hope it will serve, somehow as an anchor to save ones life. That wish coming of desperate situation may on some occasions give hope for survival and that is what the grand old party (GOP), Congress is now trying, floating Priyanka as PM candidate, in chorus.
The latest push for Priyanka the leader is double edged gamble which may succeed or may rattle the cadre at this sudden change which is interpreted as the failure of currently projected Rahul Gandhi as a leader to challenge incumbent CM of over decade Narendra Modi. Some of the Congress leaders see Indira Gandhi in the looks, speech and gestures of Priyanka Vadra based on her recent parliamentary intervention during the debates. The way Priyanka defended the targeted attack on her late great grand father Jawaharlal Nehru and her appeal to have as many days as possible to criticize Jawaharlal Nehru’s mistakes and then finally put an end for that anti-Nehru campaign and then debate the current people centric issues in the parliament was what made the Congress leaders to believe that Priyanka Vadra is their last resort to regain the peoples’ confidence.
Unfortunately, for Congress leaders any claim for Priyanka as leader will automatically is an expression of lack of confidence on the leadership of her brother and Congress party’s heir apparent Rahul Gandhi. Despite innumerable attempts to launch Rahul Gandhi, in a grand way by the party, he failed to take off and even common worker in the party is not enthused in the speeches of Rahul Gandhi. His track record of near hundred election losses is weighing heavily in the minds of Congress people. There is no way in taking on the failures of Rahul Gandhi in the party, as the high command of mother-son duo never allowed any open or honest discussion on the reasons for the series of losses party is facing or the immature way Rahul Gandhi takes up issues during the election campaigns.
Perhaps the lack of way to get rid of Rahul’s leadership directly that Congress MP Imran Masood has taken up the indirect way of promoting Priyanka, as the suitable candidate, to take on Narendra Modi in 2029 election. Surprisingly none of the senior Congress leaders endorsed pro-Priyanka statement of Imran Masood while Robert Vadra, the husband of Priyanka, without a position in the party jumped in support of his wife being a better PM candidate and Priyanka’s position of PM of the country as “inevitable”. Congress cadre and leaders are not sure of the way to react as they were all these years oriented to react only after a clear signal from the right quarters. It may take some time for the message of wind being still or changing in the party to reach the states and people there to react either way.
But one thing is sure that Rahul Gandhi is no more the favoured leader of the party cadre. The issues Rahul picked up failed to convince neither the party cadre nor the voter. The much hyped and sure win slogan of ‘vote chori’ failed miserably in Bihar. The four time Congress MP from Tiruvanatapuram Sashi Tharoor’s latest appreciation of Nitish Kumar’s administration and the work of NDA government in Bihar has completely taken the sail out of Rahul Gandhi’s criticism on Nitish as CM and its failed administration. The J&K CM Omar Abdulla claim of not being on the same page of Rahul’s agenda of vote chori has further damaged Congress. Rahul Gandhi not being an acceptable leader to the regional parties has been proved. With the enthusiasm Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Yatra waned and no sustainable new issue being found by him, the regional parties are weighing their prospects in associating with Congress under Rahul’s leadership. Big trouble for Congress is Rahul Gandhi’s failure to get acceptance in the organization and to garner public mandate. His failure to settle the leadership issue in Chattisghar before 2024 elections cost the party heavily and now the same failure to restrict open fight between two the two camps of Siddaramaiah and Sivakumar in Karnataka has already taken toll at the image of the party. As things drift in Karnataka and administration paralyzed BJP’s return to power is discussed in that state.
The situation in the party as well as in the neighbouring countries is seen as the right time to pass on the baton of leadership to Priyanka. At present Bangladesh is in turmoil. Hindus are targeted, inhumanly treated and killed in the streets of Dhaka. The Congress party and its leader Indira Gandhi is credited with the division of Pakistan and creation of a new nation Bangladesh through 1971 war. Congress now takes the line that Indira Gandhi of 1971 responded in a better way Narendra Modi of 2025 to the happenings of Bangladesh. So they want to remind the people of India of what Indira Gandhi did then and now Priyanka Vodra can do, provided she is in the chair of Prime Minister. Though the context of 1971 is totally different from that of 2025, the Congress see this as an opportunity to project Priyanka as the true inheritor of bravery of Indira Gandhi.
But any attempt to project Priyanka as the prime ministerial candidate is detrimental to the political progress of Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka projection means self-rejection of Rahul and that is obvious. BJP already labelled this projection of Priyanaka as “Rahul Hatao, Priyanka bachao” movement as the final gasp for the Congress party as nothing as worked under Rahul Gandhi. Is he ready to cede the leadership space to his sister Priyanka? Even if he concedes that as a tactical retreat or as internal family arrangement will the Rahul brigade which he assiduously built during the last ten years will accept that?
As the main opposition party, the Congress is trying to retain its relevance at the national politics, as regional parties are moving away from the I.N.D.I.A tent in the absence any political gains by staying in the alliance. At this stage there are not many options before the Congress party and available best option is project a new leader that will enthuse the cadre across the country. Will Priyanka name gains acceptance or not will be known when she takes on Left in Kerala where the elections are due in early 2026. Being the representative of Kerala that may be best option. With the Congress fortunes are on brighter side in Kerala, as the local body elections indicated, the possible victory in the assembly elections in Kerala under her stewardship may give fillip to the party.
(Author is retired professor. Views expressed are personal.)
