Friday, May 24th 06:04 PM IST
 

The Congress should sideline Rahul and opt for Priyanka instead

R Jagannathan

The Congress has a problem. The heir-apparent does not look like the apparent heir to the throne anymore. Rahul Gandhi has not been able to connect with the masses, and in a party that needs dynasty members to click with the masses, this is a disaster. In his public appearances, Rahul appears uncomfortable, and beyond good looks, he does not have much going for him in politics. To succeed, a politician needs to be able to emotionally connect with the people. This is where Priyanka comes in. In her brief appearances during the UP elections, she seemed to display the common touch and she could be a potential vote-winner in some states. In the 2014 election, it is not clear who the Congress will face as its main opponent, a third front of regional forces or a Modi-rejuvenated BJP. In either case, Congress needs a trump card. Priyanka is the secret weapon the party needs to try out. Rahul does not seem to be upto it.read less read more

Akshaya Mishra

Admitted, Rahul Gandhi has not delivered the results expected of him from the party. But the expectations were highly unreasonable in the first place. If the Congressmen believed him to be the man with the magic wand, who would galvanise a sinking party by resuscitating life into its rickety organisational structure with his sheer presence, they were being blind to ground realities. We are long past the era of such leaders and we have none in the country at the moment. Moreover, the party’s organisation had started collapsing much before he came to the picture. With so many political parties jostling for space, reviving it is a gargantuan task. He needs time for that. Rahul lacks charisma but as his campaign in Uttar Pradesh and other states showed he is capable of hard-work and good at connecting with the masses. Given the lack of popular leaders in the party, he is by far still the Congress’s best bet.read less read more