PREMIUM

The Rahul Gandhi paradox: Political legacy without a political pulse

As Congress flounders under his invisible leadership, allies leave and BJP gains ground

Last updated:
Swati Chaturvedi, Special to Gulf News
4 MIN READ
Rahul Gandhi is leading what remains the only opposition party with a pan-India footprint, but the country doesn’t have a very clear idea of what he stands for.
Rahul Gandhi is leading what remains the only opposition party with a pan-India footprint, but the country doesn’t have a very clear idea of what he stands for.
IANS

Rahul Gandhi turned 55 on June 19, and over the years, India has seen many iterations of his political persona — from “youth leader” to self-professed “love guru” who would counter hate with love, to the “Yatri” (the walker), and now to the caste warrior. Yet, to this day, India doesn’t have a very clear idea of what Gandhi stands for — or who he really is.

That’s bad news for the opposition and for Indian democracy. Because Gandhi, still running the country’s oldest political party — the Congress — by remote control, is leading what remains the only opposition party with a pan-India footprint. This is a party that should ideally be the fulcrum around which the broader opposition coalesces.

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