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A crumbling INDIA bloc, questions being raised over Rahul Gandhi’s ability to lead the coalition, a Congress that finds itself alone on the pet issue of Adani and crony capitalism, and the passing of Dr Manmohan Singh — 2024 seems to have ended on an…Read More
LoP in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi with party President Mallikarjun Kharge. (Image: PTI/File)
What begins well may not end well. After the high of a good Lok Sabha electoral performance, with the Bharatiya Janata Party failing to get even a simple majority, the Congress lost in two states where its hopes were high: Haryana and Maharashtra.
A crumbling INDIA bloc, questions being raised over Rahul Gandhi’s ability to lead the coalition, a Congress that finds itself alone on the pet issue of Adani and crony capitalism, and the passing of Dr Manmohan Singh—2024 seems to have ended on an ominous note for the party and the Raebareli MP.
Lok Sabha polls boost Rahul Gandhi’s image
The successful Bharat Jodo Yatras, even according to sceptics and critics of Rahul Gandhi, boosted his image. Till then Rahul was seen as an absentee leader, who was more of an armchair neta than a street politician, who could match up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi or even many opposition leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee. But the yatras showed him as a man who could hit the streets and take on the mighty BJP.
Rahul Gandhi’s aggression, backed by a social media narrative that gained and got traction, set the stage for the Lok Sabha polls. And it did come up with a pleasant surprise with the BJP not getting a simple majority. While the BJP calculated its losses, the opposition dismissed him as someone who had no mandate to become the PM.
Armed with this confidence and narrative, the Congress under Rahul Gandhi went into the Haryana polls. It was confident of a win, which didn’t happen. A shocking, unexpected defeat for the Congress once again raised questions over Rahul Gandhi’s ability to win votes. A divided Congress battling for the chief minister’s post, the Hooda versus Selja fight, and an aggressive BJP on the ground spelt doom for the grand old party.
The BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi as a failure. Indeed, more than Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, it was Rahul Gandhi who had chalked out the strategy that failed to yield results. To make matters worse came the Maharashtra results. While the Marathi-speaking Kharge did more rallies than Rahul Gandhi, the Maha Vikas Aghadi in private blamed the Raebareli MP and the Congress for the defeat.
Rahul Gandhi’s fall
Both these results have dented the image of the Lok Sabha’s leader of opposition. He finally mustered the courage to take this position, which brought him head-on with the PM. But with losses, it put him on the backfoot. To make matters worse, the fumbling and crumbling INDIA bloc is not too keen on Rahul Gandhi as its head or convener. The demand for Mamata Banerjee by the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, and Rashtriya Janata Dal is growing, and this issue must be resolved soon. In fact, most of these parties, while pitching for Mamata Banerjee, are making the point that the Congress just does not have the ability and Rahul Gandhi doesn’t have the right credentials to become their leader.
But matters don’t end here. The upcoming state polls offer little hope for the Congress. Once ruling Delhi, its space has gone to AAP, with the BJP as the other key contender. The Congress’s last-minute overture to AAP to form an alliance has been snubbed, with Arvind Kejriwal making it clear that there would be no tie-ups.
Many allies are beginning to look at the Congress as a liability and Rahul Gandhi as a leader who is out of sync with the pulse of the people. Many within his own party and among allies feel that his focus on Adani and crony capitalism has not clicked, and that’s one reason why during the Parliament protests at the Makar Dwaar, most of them stayed away. The SP is upset with Rahul Gandhi for not standing up on the Sambhal issue inside Lok Sabha. The TMC has never been impressed with him either. Slowly but surely, the drift is beginning
What’s in store?
2025 has two polls. Delhi seems to be slipping out of hand while Bihar could be a challenge, especially with the Congress perhaps being forced to eat humble pie as its ally RJD is not too happy with it and may want to keep it in check. But the real challenge for Rahul Gandhi is to ensure a bounceback from the “Soros charges” against him and his family. There is already a case questioning his citizenship coming up. There is no clarity on whether this could put him in the dock yet, but it’s likely to entwine him in legal hassles.
With Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entering the Lok Sabha, another power centre seems to have developed in the Congress. And there are many who are waiting to watch how soon she will overshadow Rahul.