An avoidable controversy regarding Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s presence during the filing of nomination papers by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Wayanad has erupted, with the BJP alleging that the family had insulted a Dalit leader by denying him entry. This is disputed by the Congress which has tried to put the record straight by explaining in great detail as to what happened on that day.
It is obvious that the BJP is uncomfortable with the idea of Priyanka making it to the Lok Sabha and is therefore leaving no stone unturned to somehow smear her image and paint her party as anti-Dalit.
Stories are being spread on why Priyanka was contesting from a safe seat where the minorities outnumbered the majority community and also how certain declarations in her affidavit were flawed. There is a conscious attempt to indulge in sledging as Indira Gandhi’s granddaughter is all set to make her electoral debut from the seat represented earlier by her brother, Rahul.
There are some facts that need to be put straight. There is no truth in the claim that Kharge was humiliated since he and Rahul Gandhi had reached the returning officer’s office late and by that time, Priyanka had already filed her first set of nomination. She had come from a meeting earlier and submitted her first set which was being scrutinized when Kharge and Rahul reached.
Her husband and son were by her side and as soon as Kharge arrived, they left the room to vacate the chairs. Kharge was received by Sonia Gandhi, who was herself in the second row, and went and sat next to Priyanka and helped with the second set of papers. This has been verified by several reporters who were present there and a leading Hindi anchor, known to be close to the BJP, also rubbished the saffron brigade’s assertion.
It is obvious that the BJP wants to set the narrative that the Congress was anti-Dalit. However, this would never be bought, since it has been the Congress which has elected the maximum number of Dalits as Chief Ministers. D. Sanjivvya from Andhra Pradesh, Bhola Paswan Shastri from Bihar, Jagannath Pahadia from Rajasthan, Sushil Kumar Shinde from Maharashtra and Charanjit Singh Channi in Punjab are examples.
There has also been this talk about how the Congress got Balasaheb Ambedkar defeated in elections. Yes, it is true that the father of the Indian Constitution lost the polls in Vidarbha but even Indira Gandhi was vanquished by Raj Narain in 1977. At that time, Babu Jagjivan Ram was the upcoming Dalit icon in the country and remained one of the most able ministers in the governments he was a part of.
Political veterans are of the view that had Jagjivan Ram been made the Prime Minister post-Emergency in place of Morarji Desai and Charan Singh, it would have been extremely difficult for Indira Gandhi to have made a comeback so soon after losing power. Babuji was a political giant of his time and other than Ambedkar, remains one of the foremost Dalit leaders of the country.
Secondly, the narrative that a safe seat was chosen by Priyanka is also not accurate. It is the prerogative of any political party to select whoever it wishes to contest from wherever it decides. She was chosen from Wayanad, since the party wanted to send a message to the electorate that it was fully with the people and was not abandoning them after Rahul decided to retain the Rae Bareli seat.
Incidentally, the Congress in general and the Gandhis in particular are the only ones who can get elected from both the North and South, essentially because the party makes no differentiation between the two regions. In fact, there has been no BJP leader, past or present, who has been able to get an electoral endorsement both in the North and South.
In this context, it is significant to point out that Indira Gandhi was elected from Chikamagalur and Medak, Sonia Gandhi from Ballary and Rahul from Wayanad. Now Priyanka is making her electoral debut from Wayanad and is likely to make her maiden entry into the Lok Sabha, if she wins.
Questions have also been raised about Robert Vadra’s pending cases and about the alleged involvement of Priyanka in some matter as well. There are at least 100 MPs in the present Parliament who have some case of the other pending against them. The issue is that unless a person is convicted, he or she is to be treated as not guilty. In the past 10 years, the Centre or the State governments have not been able to establish any wrongdoing against Priyanka and her family, so the only way out is to wait and allow the courts to determine the authentication of the charges.
It is being speculated that once Priyanka enters Parliament, there could be another power centre within the grand old party. Now why should this be a cause of worry for the BJP or any party opposed to the Congress since it is an internal matter? Moreover, the Gandhis never express their differences in public and certainly this shall not happen.
From the Congress point of view, Priyanka would add to the firepower in the Lok Sabha but for the party to grow further, it has to first strengthen its organization.
This is a major problem and unless the Congress has a robust organization, it shall be difficult to take on the BJP. Between us.