Apprehending arrest, Gandhis hit the streets

Opposition politics seems to be changing at a very rapid pace, and the Congress has once again become pro-active to regain its pole position amongst parties opposed to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This suits the BJP as well and as was mentioned in this column last week, the saffron brigade would prefer to have the Congress and the Gandhis as their principal opponents, since it ensures victory in absolute majority of the 200 odd seats where the parties are pitted in a straight contest.
The display of force by the Central government, which a couple of days ago, surrounded the residences of both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul following the sealing of the National Herald office, is a clear indication that the ruling dispensation is helping to bring into public domain, their chosen adversaries.
The Congress was evidently rattled by the action of the government and its agencies, and senior leaders asked party activists to gather at the AICC headquarters, shortly after the National Herald premises were sealed. Subsequently, they started preparing for what they perceived to be the imminent arrest of the Gandhis—Sonia and Rahul in the ED case.
On Thursday night, several hundred Congress workers were asked to camp inside the AICC headquarters so that an instant demonstration could be organised if the need arose. Although leaders and workers hit the streets on Friday to protest against various burning issues including price rise, GST and unemployment, the original plan had to be slightly altered in view of the heavy downpour.
Sources claimed that one of the Gandhi siblings, Priyanka perhaps, would have come to the AICC, to address workers and hold a press briefing subsequently. But both Rahul and Priyanka did involve themselves in confrontation with the police in order to give an impression that they were the only ones willing to take on the Modi government on the thoroughfares of the capital as well as major cities.
Rahul was detained and Priyanka too was taken away by the police. What was baffling was, why the Gandhis took so long to hold such demonstrations on vital matters affecting the people. So far, the Congress has only demonstrated when either Rahul or Sonia Gandhi were summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate.
The fact is that this newfound trait to publicly lead demonstrations stems from their apprehension that they could be taken into custody any time. The Modi government can be both ruthless and focused if it decides to proceed with necessary action against its opponents, taking the refuge of the law of the land.
Another factor that has egged the Gandhis to escalate their agitation profile is that they do not wish to be outdone by their own cousin, Feroze Varun Gandhi, who for the past several months, has been taking up issues that concern the common people, at the risk of annoying his own party’s government.
In many parts of the country, Varun has earned respect for his consistent criticism of the government, and political analysts rate the late Sanjay Gandhi’s son as certainly the most cerebral of the Gandhis so far as politics goes. It may not go in Varun’s favour within the BJP, but his public profile is certainly better than his privileged cousins, who have usurped their grand-mother’s legacy, in which even Sanjay Gandhi had a huge role.
It is a fact that the Congress in the last 42 years has been served best by those who had been encouraged or initiated into big time politics by Sanjay Gandhi. In a way, the contribution of Sanjay Gandhi in the survival of the Congress in the post-Indira and Rajiv years, is not just a matter of record but a reality.
From Kamal Nath to Ghulam Nabi Azad, from Ahmed Patel to Ambika Soni, from Pranab Mukherjee to Anand Sharma, there has hardly been a Congress leader who did not owe his or her ascendancy in politics to Indira Gandhi’s younger son. Rajiv Gandhi was a thorough gentleman and served as the Prime Minister for five years, but most of those he groomed or brought to the centre-stage of politics, deserted him and left him in the lurch.
Coming back to the current scenario, the Congress Gandhis are trying to enhance their position in the politics of the Opposition in order to stay relevant. They also fear comparison with Feroze Varun Gandhi, who in due course would be heading towards the Opposition space, given that his stand against his government on important issues could result in his being denied the party ticket in 2024, along with his mother and nine-time MP, Maneka Gandhi.
There is a lot happening within the Opposition ranks and the BJP fears that if the regional parties come together, they could pose a big hurdle for its 2024 ambitions. For instance, if the Maha Aghadi remains together in Maharashtra, the BJP would find it extremely hard to get the sufficient number of seats.
Sharad Pawar is of course very seasoned and amongst the most astute politicians of this country. He can even create problems for the BJP, if in his customary style he declares that he would support a BJP government in Maharashtra from outside, provided Nitin Gadkari or Devendra Fadnavis were made Chief Minister.
The short point is that the Gandhis know that their days as principal opponents of the government are numbered and thus this new agitational avatar. Between us.