RSS row and court trial: Will Parliament snooze abort yet another 'Rahul Gandhi re-launch'?

Rahul Gandhi is a deeply worried man. No, please don’t get me wrong. His worry has nothing to do with Congress’s performance in elections or the steady disintegration of India’s Grand Old Party at the grassroots and the rapid erosion of its mass base. Or even the flight of its MLAs to rival camps that forced its state secretaries to issue ‘Gandhi bonds’, a unique pledge signed by victorious members on a Rs 100 stamp paper swearing “unqualified allegiance” to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi — an indication of the fear that stalks the party even in its winning hour. The Gandhi scion isn’t worried about any of these. What has got him frightfully anxious is the prospect that this whole RSS controversy may catapult him into the limelight. Here he was, merrily presiding over Congress’s rapid downfall when a sudden Supreme Court ruling and Congress’s bombastic reaction forced an existential dilemma on him. During the Parliament debate on atrocities against Dalits on Wednesday, Rahul was busy pondering over power’s poisoned chalice again coming his way when TV cameras caught him introspecting deeply and mischievously interpreted it as ‘sleeping’. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s do a recap. It all started with a Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday. A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and RF Nariman said the Congress vice-president must apologise or face defamation trial for accusing the RSS of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. [caption id=“attachment_2655252” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Rahul Gandhi. AFP[/caption] “RSS people killed Gandhi_ji_ and today their people (BJP) talk of him…They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji,” Rahul had said in March 2014 while addressing an election rally in Maharashtra’s Thane district. Wondering why he made a speech quoting “wrong historical fact”, the court observed: “What we have to see is whether the petitioner’s allegations come under Section 499 (defamation) of IPC or not. Our judgment upholding its validity is already there. You will have to face trial if you don’t express regret.” “Why did you make a sweeping statement against the RSS branding everyone associated with the organisation in the same brush? You cannot collectively denounce a group,” said the bench. The matter could have been over had Rahul Gandhi expressed regret. But Congress’s seasoned lawyers and battle-hardened leaders, in a fit of misplaced bravado, seems to have led the Gandhi dynasty scion up the garden path. Their strategy was sound enough. Though penal provisions make defamation an offence punishable by up to a two-year jail term, there is little possibility of Congress vice-president actually getting imprisoned. According to legal eagles, the Supreme Court’s observations are not binding on Rahul since he made the remarks based on the materials available in the text and records. He can contest the case in the trial court. But the optics of a Nehru-Gandhi dynast standing trial in a criminal defamation case to defend his statement that ‘RSS assassinated Mahatma Gandhi’ is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Congress to re-launch ‘Satellite Rahul INSAT-10 Janpath’ that has tragically suffered repeated abortive attempts. Still, there’s no harm in trying. “If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again.” Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland, is meant to have told his troops this shortly before walloping the English at Bannockburn in 1314. Who knows, the footage of Rahul, chin up, jaws tightened, steely eyes set forward walking straight up to the court to prove with “historical facts and documents” that it was indeed RSS that killed Gandhi may also trigger a landslide of public opinion in favour of the Congress and sweep away its political rivals like tsumani. Heck, it could even unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and make Bharat BJP-mukt! It is precisely with this stated aim and purpose a combative Randeep Surjewala, the Congress spokesperson, told reporters: “On a suggestion of Rahul Gandhi expressing regret or apology, the question does not arise. Such a suggestion has been made in the past and not accepted by him. “Rahul Gandhi is a mature politician with intimate knowledge of historical facts. Congress party and (Rahul) will defend these remarks at an appropriate forum.” We all remember what happened during the National Herald case in which BJP leader Subramanian Swamy levelled charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds by the Gandhis. A court summons issued against the Gandhis inflamed such incandescent passion among the Congress ranks that entire Parliament session was washed out and the government was left twiddling its collective thumbs, wondering what had hit them. This, therefore, is an ideal chance. Rahul’s appearance before a Bhiwandi court may generate a ‘countrywide debate’ on the alleged role of RSS and other Hindutva groups in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. To press home the advantage, it won’t be a bad idea for the Congress scion to even court a symbolic arrest. The entire country will instantly be up in flames. But amid all this plotting and planning of a grand Congress revival, no one noticed how deeply worried the president-elect is. Sitting in his cozy corner of the House, the reluctant prince was contemplating the vagaries of public life when an errant TV camera caught him what seemed like ’napping’ and all hell broke loose! Though dutiful spokespersons have tried to explain the shut-eye as ‘vipassana’, ‘closing eyes and thinking hard’ and even as a ‘Lok Sabha TV conspiracy’, the moot point is whether forty winks will abort yet again Congress’s umpteenth well-laid plan to re-launch the Yuvraj.