Currrent - Issue

SON RISES
 Barely four months into his first major political journey,
Rahul Gandhi finds himself in the unenviable position of Indian politics’ favourite poster boy
                                                                                                          By Sayantan Chakravarty
GOP'S YOUNG VOICE: Instead of seeking the chair, Rahul has chosen to meet people 		 
It is not easy being a Gandhi in India, not when the hat you wear is lined with political feathers. The rewards of being a Gandhi in politics are high, the risks, a notch higher. Often the Gandhi walk to glory has ended the way the lives of some American Presidents have - in smoke, blood, and tears.

So when in early May 2004 a dimple-cheeked, 34-year-old Gandhi, reminding us of his late father's famous charm, chose to hit the political dust-tracks of India, a new story was being added to the Gandhi folklore.

It was a story that would alter the political equations of a nation, one more time. "His entry into politics will have pan-Indian ramifications for the fortunes of Congress, the entire picture would change," exulted Tom Vadakkan, media manager of the party. He wasn't entirely wrong. That May afternoon, under a blazing sun, cutting through irritant clouds  of  dust,    and much
grime Rahul Gandhi took four hours to cover a distance of 20 miles in Uttar Pradesh. Not because the roads were eaten up by corruption, not because some people in the Gandhi entourage had failed to carry direction finders, but because the roads were lined with doters, waiting exuberantly in marigold, waiting to touch him, greet him, even catch a glimpse.

That afternoon, even if he had wished so, Rahul Gandhi could not have let the smile leave his face. Not even for a moment.

The world was watching a new son rise. So there he was, hero-comelately, waltzing through a sea of humanity, taking a road much travelled, but attempting to make a difference. Someone in the milling crowds recalled Rajiv Gandhi's famous cavalcades through the back of beyond of U.P. many, many summers ago-it was as though a page in history was being relived.

Only this time the protagonist of this particular road show, bespectacled scion of India's most known political family, was wiser, aware that the dust-tracks that the Gandhi family has chosen to travel over the years are mined with danger, and lined with uncertainty. But the dangers, real or imagined, certainly did not keep Rahul Gandhi away from the masses who have waited a while for his entry on the Indian political stage.

Rahul knows his task is cut out, during a recent interview he said, "I have a job to do, to serve the people of India. I do not fear death. Neither did my father, even after my grandmother had been assassinated."
It takes courage to step on such political minefields, but clearly this Gandhi is not deterred. A journey of a thousand miles, said Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher, begins with the first step. Rahul Gandhi's began on March 30, 2004, the day he, flanked by his mother, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and sister Priyanka, decided to contest from Amethi, a constituency that has overwhelmingly voted for a Congress candidate on ten occasions.

On five of those occasions the Gandhis have been victors, including Rahul's parents and late uncle Sanjay Gandhi. At the end of the last general elections, it turned out to be another  no - contest  at  Amethi,  Rahul 		 
SIBLING REVELRY: Rahul with sister Priyanka Vadra in campaign mode
Gandhi rode the waves of his popularity well, won handsomely, besting his nearest rival by over 290,000 votes.

His relevance to Indian politics after this emphatic win just cannot be undermined. Jagdambika Pal, president of Congress party in Uttar Pradesh, says "It is not just the politics that runs in Rahul Gandhi's blood but the very high intellect that his genes carry that will make all the difference."

Now barely four months into his first major political journey, Rahul Gandhi finds himself in the unenviable position of Indian politics’ favourite poster boy. The carefully cultivated Hindi, the liberal use of English (he’s after all attended Harvard University and spent considerable time in foreign shores) like his father, helps, even attracts. It matters little that these speeches are being delivered somewhere along the beaten tracks of sweaty, dusty India, the masses certainly do not mind a dash of English. Quite clearly, within the Congress, Rahul Gandhi’s presence has elevated spirits, ushered hope. Parliamentarian Ashwani Kumar says, "He’s like a whiff of fresh air in the murky world of politics."

It is the inability to get the drift of this fresh air, understand the true Rahul Gandhi charisma, that may have cost the BJP and NDA dear. Weeks after the BJP was vanquished at the Lok Sabha polls, the party bosses were still busy racking their collective brains over the "unexpected" debacle. The party’s tallest leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, himself claimed responsibility for the defeat.

But still, no one was quite willing to admit that Rahul Gandhi’s sudden entry had perhaps made a slight difference to the political equations as well.