On Popular Demand

On January 11, 1998, Sonia Gandhi kicked off her maiden campaign tour from Sriperumbudur where her husband Rajiv had been assassinated seven years ago. The curious turned out in droves to see her. All eyes, however, were drawn irresistibly to the vibrant red-and-saffron-clad figure beside her. Priyanka Gandhi, who spoke just one sentence, in Tamil, exhorting the crowd to vote for the Congress. Over frenzied applause, they shouted back, "Our future leader".

Five years later, it's widely accepted within the party that Priyanka is the star campaigner for the Congress. In-house surveys commissioned by party strategists in various states have shown she is the most acceptable member of the Gandhi clan, which collectively (Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul), it is claimed, outstrips even Atal Behari Vajpayee in popularity. The media has 'testified' to her overpowering "charisma" and "magnetism". The camera loves her. And so do the people, according to the surveys.

Posters with her portrait are a regular feature at Congress conclaves. And yet, she hasn't indicated that she will campaign for the party in the forthcoming elections. Sonia actively discourages any discussion on her children's entry into politics, merely saying that it is their decision. Priyanka herself is equally vague, either telling reporters to "ask the AICC" or "wait and see".

Party leaders believe, as Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi said last week, that Priyanka will not contest herself but will campaign all over the country during the 2004 general elections. They base this on the fact that she is spending more time at 10, Janpath, gathering regular feedback on the political climate in all the states and even taking an interest in the affairs of the UP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). Her usp, Congressmen feel, is that her appeal, like grandmother Indira Gandhi's, transcends caste, community and regional barriers. The Nehru-Gandhi charisma can offset the impact of Mandal and Masjid, dim the appeal of the Mayawatis and Mulayam Singhs, is their belief.

However, senior party leaders do admit that she has a long way to go in terms of developing political acumen. There's no doubt she is an electrifying campaigner, but she lacks the political maturity her mother has acquired. For many, she comes across as a brash and hot-headed member of Delhi's not-so-reputable social whirl. For instance, rumours are abuzz that an intimate member of the Priyanka-Robert Vadra circle has been told off by Sonia for using his "Gandhi connection" to further business interests in Congress-ruled states. The gentleman in question, who comes from a high-profile family in Punjab and is friends with the grandsons of veteran Congress and even Akali Dal leaders, has pictures of Priyanka plastered all over his house.

When "Sonia aunty" heard last fortnight that he was flaunting his friendship with the Vadra couple, she asked them to keep him at a distance. This is the second time that Sonia has had to caution Priyanka and Robert. A year ago, when reports of Robert's brother and father misusing the Priyanka connection reached 10, Janpath, Sonia took up the matter with her son-in-law. Consequently, he issued an advertisement in newspapers disowning his family.

Priyanka has to watch the company she keeps. The couple's fondness for partying and eating out inevitably exposes them to a wide range of people, some of whom might be wheeler-dealers, a Congress leader points out. Personally, Priyanka has never sought significant favours from any Congress chief minister, either for herself or for her friends, he adds.

The most obvious example of her lack of political skills was last year in November, when she undertook a sudden trip to Amethi by train, with her four-month-old daughter in tow.UP Congressmen speculated that news of Rahul's imminent induction into the Seva Dal had prompted the tour. Once there, Priyanka stormed into a local police station to demand the filing of an fir against a Thakur who had destroyed the home of a Dalit. The entire drama was conducted in the full glare of the media.

Only later did the party realise that Priyanka had managed to upset not just the pro-Congress upper castes but more importantly, Mayawati. At one stroke, the Congress and BSP's amiable live-and-let-live equation stood vitiated. The BSP's damage control was swift. Not only did Mayawati rush to Amethi for a public meeting, she also acceded to the long-standing demand that it be declared a separate district. The promise once made to Amethi's denizens by Sanjay Gandhi was made good by Mayawati, as she announced the new district of Sahujimaharaj Nagar.

Although Priyanka's Youth Congress brigade insists Mayawati hasn't made the slightest dent in Amethi, more seasoned UP Congressmen admit that she has garnered some support. What's worse is that the UP CM, given to making generally positive statements about Sonia, is now a trenchant critic. Trodding on Mayawati's toes was not a smart move, at a time when the UP Congress would like to see the BSP-BJP alliance ruptured, PCC members say.

Such political gaffes apart, Priyanka has a gift for bonding with people. In Amethi, she regularly visits villages, making herself at home in the poorest huts, shaking hands and flashing her high-wattage smile and dispensing advice. Priyanka loyalist and UP Youth Congress president Nadeem Jaisi describes how she ticked him off for inconveniencing people during a rail roko andolan on June 30. "We've been asked to help people through a shramdaan programme: mend roads and homes, fix pipes," he says. She seems to have outgrown the pearl-string social worker image she was accused of.

Priyanka's impulsiveness has prompted comparisons with her late uncle Sanjay Gandhi, while her even-tempered brother is seen as having inherited Rajiv's demeanour. Both have a strong influence over Sonia. It was Priyanka, Congressmen believe, who prompted Sonia to lash out at P.V. Narasimha Rao during a rally in Amethi in August 1995. And it was Rahul who helped her get over the Sharad Pawar rebellion and resume leadership of the Congress.

Both siblings have factions rooting for them in the party. Priyanka's is headed by Satish Sharma and Rahul's by CWC member Arjun Singh. Priyanka has her own office at Satish Sharma's house, which is dedicated to Amethi affairs. No denizen of the constituency is turned away and Madhavan, who sits in 10, Janpath, but is regarded as Priyanka's private secretary, is kept busy calling up ministers to arrange jobs, medical treatment, school and college admissions.

In Congress circles, it's widely believed that Sonia would prefer to see Rahul, rather than Priyanka, take the plunge into politics, largely because she fears the rough-and-tumble of politics might put unnecessary stress on her daughter's family. Those who've attracted Priyanka's ire, like Vincent George, or those who don't get along with Satish Sharma, pin their hopes on Rahul eventually inheriting the Gandhi mantle. After all, he's remarkably well-informed on the political scenario and extremely well-read. The clamour for Priyanka, Rahul votaries say, is only because she's been exposed to the limelight and he hasn't. For them, the problem is that Rahul has yet to indicate what direction he will take politically and most important, personally. In other words, they're afraid he has settled for an "Unsuitable Girl".

For the moment, the stage belongs to Priyanka. Her army of 2,500-odd Youth Congress workers in Amethi have inundated Sonia with letters demanding her induction into the political mainstream.They now plan a padayatra from Amethi to Delhi to drive home their demand. "Until Priyanka fulfils our wish, we will continue our sangharsh," says Dharmendra Shukla, Youth Congress office-bearer. But Bholanath Tripathi, who handles her Amethi office, has the last word: "Priyanka's entry into politics doesn't depend on what the people expect or what partymen want. It's up to Soniaji".