Rahul-Priyanka double bill not a win-win for Congress

The temptations notwithstanding, Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into politics wouldn’t probably be worse timed should she decide to bite the bullet now

Flashback: ‘Rahul in Lahore. Rahul in Amethi’. This was the headline in one of India’s leading national dailies when the Congress party announced Rahul Gandhi as its candidate from Amethi for the 2004 general elections. On the same day, Rahul Dravid’s unbeaten 76 in Lahore powered India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in a one-day match. Flash forward:

‘Rahul in Amethi.’ ‘Priyanka in Raebareli!’ Well, not quite, yet. But there’s no denying that a vast section of Congressmen would be over the moon should such a headline materialise in the run-up to 2019.

But for now let’s keep aside the razzmatazz that will for sure come to typify Priyanka’s formal entry into politics and let’s concentrate instead on the flip side of such a hypothesis.

With Rahul, the fifth scion of the Nehru-Gandhi clan, at the helm in India’s oldest party, with Sonia Gandhi looking set for a political nirvana of sorts — given her failing health — and with the appeal of BJP behemoth and Prime Minister Narendra Modi going from glossy to matte with every passing day, Priyanka’s entry into politics couldn’t probably have asked for better mood music. Right?

Wrong.

On the contrary, should Priyanka decide to bite the bullet now, it can actually prove to be counterproductive for the Congress.

Make no mistake, in terms to charisma and mass appeal, the daughter of Sonia and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi still steals a march over her younger brother Rahul — and by a long shot at that! Since the demise of former PM Indira Gandhi, seeing Priyanka take the mantle of the Gandhi family into the pantheon of greats in India’s political hall of fame has perhaps been a Congress romantic’s ultimate dream. It could have happened in 2004 when, instead of Rahul, Sonia could have given Priyanka the go-ahead for a debut. An unknown quantity in politics but with a clean image, a charismatic personality and the Gandhi surname could perhaps have given Congress that decisive edge that has eluded the party — first, forcing it into the compulsions of coalition governments for a decade; and then, being booted out of power. It could have certainly happened in 2014. Sensing that the Congress was heading for a rout in the face of a Modi-led wave at the hustings, Sonia could have sprung a surprise by bringing Priyanka into the frame. Even as Rahul continued to be the stock option, Priyanka would have been the ‘shock’ option to scupper the Bharatiya Janata Party’s game plan of projecting Modi as the most credible face of ‘change’.

With Priyanka opting for life away from active politics and insisting on restricting herself merely as a campaigner in the family pocket boroughs of Amethi and Raebareli — Rahul and Sonia’s constituencies, respectively — Congress definitely lost out on a vote-catcher who could have been a more potent weapon than Rahul to counter a cadre-based entity such as the BJP.

But the point is, inducting Priyanka now can be counterproductive for the Congress on multiple fronts.

Unimaginative investment

First of all, the carefully-curated image of Rahul as the future premier will be made to look like a wasteful, unimaginative investment for the party. Right from keeping former PM Manmohan Singh on tenterhooks on party matters and even those of governance to some extent, to tactfully dousing the prime ministerial ambitions of a veteran like Pranab Mukherjee, the impression that has gained ground within Congress circles and beyond since 2004 is that Rahul is being groomed for the top job. Adding Priyanka into the mix can lead to substantial brand dilution so far as Rahul is concerned.

Secondly, Priyanka’s presence can create a dual power-centre within the family and most certainly within the party that can leave an average Congress worker muddled over the leadership issue. This is because unlike the combinations of Jawaharlal Nehru-Indira, Indira-Sanjay Gandhi, Indira-Rajiv and even Sonia-Rahul, the issue of delineation of political authority in a Rahul-Priyanka set-up can only come at a considerable loss of political capital of one or the other.

Either way, it certainly can’t be a win-win for the Congress.