Prophet Moses had a set of Ten Commandments and gave to the people of Israel, the Torah, that consisted of the foundational narrative for the Jews. One hopes, Rahul's five commandments can espouse a new scripture for the Congress party too. That is the only way Congress will be delivered to their "promised land" come May 2019.
In the Hebrew Bible, the Ten Commandments were revealed to Prophet Moses, who after a full forty days, came down from Mount Sinai with tablets of stone, which contained God's recitation. Moses had remained on the mountain for such a long period of time that his people, the Israelites, were unsure about his fate.
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Rahul Gandhi in his stint over the past few days, after his nearly two month long sabbatical, which led to several questions about his political fate in the media, ?? has been nothing short of a revelation either. From an aggressive speech at Ramlila maidan to his witty interventions in Parliament, from advocating net neutrality to his 16km religious trek to Kedarnath, from taking a train to Punjab to a march in Maharashtra to meet farmers, Rahul Gandhi seems to have emerged, with some commandments for himself and the party!
I. Thou art the undisputed leader of the party
Rahul is slowly but surely reinforcing his writ upon the party. While the Sandeep Dikshits of the party have echoed that they favour Sonia Gandhi's leadership, Rahul has ensured, that largely the old and new guard, work under his command. His style, less dictatorial than Modi's or Kejriwal's, won't be marked by packing off senior leaders to "Margdarshak" committees or throwing them unceremoniously out of the party but bears the traces of unequivocal authority. So from Ahmad Patel to Digvijaya Singh, from Jairam Ramesh to Sachin Pilot, every single leader, young and old, participated in making Rahul's Zameen wapasi rally in Ramleela maidan a success. Rahul Gandhi's formal takeover as president of the party is in the offing and the stage for that is being readied.
II. Thou shalt be visible and audible
Gone are the days when Rahul Gandhi would feel circumspect about intervening on issues of public importance, lest he be seen as a power centre more powerful than the former PM Dr. Singh! Now the young scion is not burdened by the protocols of being in power. So he will pay his respects to Gajender Singh at RML Hospital and he will not shy away from taking the battle to the streets or to Parliament — be it on land acquisition or equally compelling issues of public interest like standing up for the rights of middle class house buyers against the Real Estate Bill being pushed through by the BJP government that seems to favour the powerful builder lobby. Already, he has spoken about four times in Parliament on a range of issues within a matter of two weeks. Expect many more interventions in the days to come.
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III. Thou shalt talk to the media
The moment Rahul Gandhi finished speaking on his adjournment motion in Parliament, he walked out and obliged the eagerly awaiting media with delectable sound bytes, adding to whatever had been left unsaid in the House. Expect more of these crisp and friendly interactions. He may not click selfies with the press but seems keen on a healthy, respectable and intellectual relationship with the press. To reach out, particularly to a captive audience of 24.3 cr internet users out of which about 20 cr in all, are on facebook, whatsapp and twitter, he shall engage on social media. His office has logged on to twitter and in the days to come this shall be taken to other social media platforms too where Rahul may engage more directly and conversationally. Traditionally, this has been and continues to be the weakest chink in Congress' communication armoury. Barring a Shashi Tharoor, who was a pioneer amongst Indian politicians when it came to using social media to reach constituents and supporters and a few others, the rest of the Congress party has been slow to adapt to new age digital platforms of communication. With the likes of Shashi Tharoor, who has been a "top influencer" according to the New York Times and a credible voice among the urban, middle class, second only to Modi in terms of online presence and following, Rahul has talented people within the party itself to set this part of the strategy right.
IV. Thou shalt calibrate one's political strategy carefully
Rahul's core convictions lie in creating an egalitarian society and one that aims at bridging the gaps between the Haves and Have Nots. His Zameen wapasi movement, his inclination to stand up for the workers and peasants that constitute over 60% of the population, his ideas of the state being a welfarist — all stem from his left-of-the-centre persuasions, which are in-sync with the Congress' traditional economic plank as well. But make no mistake, Rahul has done his political home-work and has far greater acumen than what many in the media may credit him with. He knows the importance of the middle class, urban and young voter, which secured Congress' victory in 2009 and Modi's victory in 2014 and whose aspirational instincts need to be tapped into again, especially after the disappointment that they feel in just eleven months of the BJP government's dismal performance. Don't be surprised if Rahul Gandhi from now speaks in a renewed aspirational lingo. Jobs and growth will go hand in hand with rights and empowerment.
V. Thou shalt stand steadfastly with liberal progressives and secularists
A large and influential section of the urban, middle class vote that supported Modi came from this liberal progressive and secular groups (LPGs) , that were disenchanted with the Congress and were taken in by the pro-development mask of Modi, ignoring his 2002 avataar. Eleven months later, after a series of bans, hate-speeches and attacks on churches, the LPGs have had it with the conservative and communal hangover of the Sangh parivar on Modi's government. Now, is obviously a time to engage this group and voice their concerns be it on environment, civil rights, individual choices and freedoms, censorship, privacy, gender equality, rights of sexual and religious minorities and many more issues.
