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Unpredictable Grades
It’s a strange equilibrium as every plus-point of Rahul Gandhi as leader seems to have a con to match
- Pro He represents change and fresh energy, which the party urgently needs
- Con Rahul takes over at a time when the Congress has lost much of its relevance as a national party
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- Pro Rahul maintains close contact with his chosen set of people, keeping tabs on progress through them
- Con How he uses the wisdom and experience of the Congress elders is not yet clear and can be a challenge
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- Pro As a Gandhi scion there are no challengers to Rahul’s leadership in the party
- Con But the Congress may go into “sleep” mode without Rahul’s physical presence
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- Pro Rahul seems honest in acknowledging Congress’s weakness for “letting people down”
- Con His long “leave of absence” raises questions about his seriousness in leading
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- Pro The Congress party still has the potential to become the nucleus of the anti-BJP front
- Con But apart from a few bipolar states, Congress is almost non-existent in most states with strong regional parties
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- Pro Rahul and Congress stand for the “secular, liberal and inclusive” ethos of India
- Con But the tendency to play the “soft Hindutva” card may push minorities to regional parties’ fold
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- Pro Rahul’s leadership can shed much of the “corruption tag” associated with the party by bringing in fresh faces as his close team
- Con Barring a few, most of his young, close aides continue to be children of regional feudal lords and not ordinary people
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- Pro In the past one year Rahul has managed to make people, especially youngsters, listen to him and appreciate much of what he says
- Con But he is yet to match Modi’s ability to reach out to the masses and convey his messages effectively
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- Pro As president of the Congress, Rahul will have the advantage of engaging with a host of regional parties
- Con But he lacks his mother’s heft to be taken seriously outside the party and needs Sonia in the backdrop to succeed
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- Pro The Congress may wait for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to project Rahul as PM
- Con Many regional party leaders may also see the opportunity and throw their hat in the ring for the coveted post
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- Pro Rahul can continue to be guided by his mother, Sonia, and take her advice on crucial issues
- Con But as he feels more confident in his new role, there may be clashes between his and his mother’s advisors
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- Pro Most non-BJP parties will want to have Congress as part of their alliance
- Con But such alliances can jeopardise the Congress’s own relevance in the states
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- Pro Recent by elections in UP and Bihar show the BJP is not invincible
- Con But credit for such victories goes to the relevant regional parties and not the Congress
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- Pro Rahul realises Congress needs to accept the ground reality and play “second fiddle” in many states
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- Con Traditionally, however, Congress has failed to transfer its vote to partners, though it may have benefited from the alliances
By Pragya Singh, Illustrations by R. Prasad
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