There are a lot of expectations from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who shall be making her electoral debut from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to polls on November 13th. The seat had fallen vacant after Rahul Gandhi retained Rae Bareli while giving up on Wayanad, which he represented in the previous Parliament.
Priyanka, if elected, would certainly add to the fire power of the Congress and along with her brother, shall spearhead her party’s agenda both nationally and in various elections that shall follow. Her speeches during the last Lok Sabha polls had touched a chord with the voters and her method of electioneering reminded people of her grandmother, Indira Gandhi, the greatest mass leader of the last century.
However, Priyanka has a long way to go before she can emulate Indira Gandhi, whose connect with the common citizen was phenomenal and whose popularity and appeal was unmatched. A mere resemblance with her illustrious granny is not sufficient to be successful in political life. Her body of work and the effort which went into the making of Indira Gandhi, need to be replicated, if she has to make her mark.
The former Prime Minister had entered Parliament through the Rajya Sabha and was a member of this august house when she was elected the Prime Minister for the first time in January, 1966 following the tragic death of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Indira Gandhi thus made her Lok Sabha debut in the 1967 Parliamentary polls from Rae Bareli, the seat that was earlier represented by her late husband, Feroze Gandhi.
The Rae Bareli constituency, considered a bastion of the Gandhis, had also elected Sonia Gandhi subsequently and the seat is currently represented by Rahul Gandhi, whose victory from there was a foregone conclusion once the polls were declared.
Priyanka cannot take her electoral debut for granted since it entails reaching out to the people of Wayanad and Kerala, who have on multiple occasions stood behind the Congress. Her entry is looked forward to by the party cadres, who would certainly be energised by her inspiring presence. There is no doubt that Priyanka has a certain charisma which is unmatched when she is campaigning.
Nevertheless, the Congress leadership has to understand that in addition to Priyanka’s charm and captivating appeal, the organization needs to be strengthened. This can only be done by focusing on the grassroots workers at the block and district levels and by bringing in more fresh faces, who have some sort of a base.
The Congress as it stands today has an unwieldy organizational structure, where the roles of office bearers remain undefined and their being part of the hierarchy does not bring anything on the table. Unless there are fresh ideas and people who are inducted into the party have certain gravitas, the Congress shall always find it challenging to take on the BJP and its robust organization structure.
Unfortunately, over the years, the Congress leaders have been caught in a war of one-upmanship not in the people’s court but on who can be a greater sycophant of the Gandhis. This must end. What needs to be clearly understood is that the Gandhis have their own place in the political arena of the country and can take care of themselves. The emphasis should be on strengthening the party.
The common sense logic is that if the Congress is strengthened, the Gandhis would be automatically strengthened. Therefore, all the energies should not be spent on the image makeover of either Rahul or Priyanka, but on the party. What could happen is that since Priyanka is contesting this time from Wayanad, Congressmen would be rushing there to show their faces. This could be at the expense of both Maharashtra and Jharkhand where the polls would be very significant.
The high command must ensure that the role of party activists is clearly defined. In addition, the services of sitting Chief Ministers to campaign should be enlisted instead of bringing in former CMs, who are by and large past their prime. In Haryana, the party did not sufficiently use Himachal Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Suku or Telangana CM, Revanth Reddy. This should not be repeated. Both of them as also Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah must be inducted for the Assembly poll campaign where the stakes are high and the expertise of those who have won are needed to augment the effort. The High Command requires re-structuring also. The Parliamentary Board needs to be revived and attempts should be made to assign tasks to those who have worked in the field and have been successful there instead of giving importance to those unfamiliar with the political dynamics and who could perform better as lobbyists rather than as office bearers of the Congress.
Priyanka already has a voice in the party and it is very strong. There is always a talk of her differences over issues with her brother but this kind of narrative suits those who enjoy proximity to the Gandhi siblings and benefit from this supposed rivalry. The Gandhis may have their own way of thinking but publicly, they would never disagree with each other. Sonia Gandhi has ensured that this would never happen.
If Priyanka is able to enter the Lok Sabha, her participation in the debates would liven up the proceedings. But the first requirement for any leader to make an impact is that the organization which he or she represents has the political muscles to go forward. Congress needs to be strengthened. Between us.