Can Indira 2.0 save Congress?
In Black & White

Can Indira 2.0 save Congress?

February 2, 2019

On 23rd January, the Congress finally played its Ace card when it was left out of the SP-BSP coalition in UP. It appointed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the Party General Secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Priyanka’s entry into full-time politics surely has given hope to most Congressmen. In fact, in 2013 itself some Congressmen wanted Priyanka to enter politics but they held their peace because they didn’t want to end up being suspended from the party like it happened to two Congressmen in Allahabad, who were seeking Priyanka’s candidature from Phulpur Parliamentary Constituency in UP. Many felt the suspension order was passed to stop any act that would undermine Rahul Gandhi’s leadership within the party.

But now Congress needs a Gandhi, who exudes the same aura Indira Gandhi did for the party, and so an Indira Gandhi 2.0 has been introduced in the form of Priyanka Gandhi because, over the past few years there has been the relentless ‘infantilising’ of Rahul Gandhi.

He has been called an Amul Baby, his actions on camera have been termed comical and his speeches have been called immature. So over the years, he has been reduced to a political Peter Pan — never growing up to be a powerful political leader.

But with Priyanka it’s different. Every time she comes on screen or walks up a dais, she seems to overshadow her older brother. It is this charisma that will allow her to eat into the much-needed media space that PM Modi is hogging now.

Many feel Priyanka is a trump card as she conjures up the image of her grandmother Indira Gandhi. In fact, after her appointment Congress workers in Lucknow were seen holding placards that read “Indira is back.”

Priyanka’s aggressive style of oration and that short haircut completes that handsome Indira Gandhi visage, an image which is still engraved in the minds of rural India.

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No wonder one of the villagers, when Priyanka was canvassing in UP in 2014 election, said, “We like Priyanka Gandhi more than Rahul. When she gets down from her car and walks towards the people, you feel as if Indira Gandhi in her ‘Ma Durga’ avatar is standing in front of you.”

So Priyanka does exude certain toughness and, as it has now transpired, she can be quite confrontational too. In 1999, when her uncle Arun Nehru had left Congress and joined BJP and was contesting from Amethi, Priyanka Gandhi visited the Constituency to support her father’s friend Satish Sharma, who was contesting on a Congress ticket. In her speech with reference to Arun Nehru she said, “The BJP candidate here is someone who betrayed Indiraji’s family and plunged a dagger in my father’s back. How did you let that traitor even enter this place?”

The crowd responded with a chorus, “Priyanka nahin yeh aandhi hai, is yug ki Indira Gandhi hai” (She is not just Priyanka, she is a typhoon, the Indira of this era).

Yes, there is a streak of aggressiveness in her that manifests in a more sincere and passionate way than her brother, whose aggression lacks passion. And this aggression may come in handy as PM Modi’s and UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s Constituencies are in Eastern UP, Priyanka’s area.

For now, Priyanka may have entered politics to help her brother, like her father did. Many may remember when Rajiv Gandhi was asked why he had joined politics when earlier he had said he would not, Rajiv re­plied, “The way I look at it is that mummy has to be helped somehow.”

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Priyanka too in a 2009 interview had said, “I’m very clear I don’t want to be in politics. I’m very happy living my life the way I am. I think there are certain aspects of politics which I’m just not suited to.” Guess now she, like her dad, came to help her mummy and brother more than the party.

We wonder if she can do more than just help? What if she does so well and her partymen ask her to be the PM?  After all, it’s in her blood, literally, if we go by what a Senior Congress leader said.

He said there is a connection between the Gandhi blood group and PM’s Office?! It seems, the blood group of both former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi was O-negative and they both became Prime Ministers. Guess what Priyanka’s is? Yes, it’s O-negative. Rahul is not.

So guess, the Congress party has finally got its much-needed fresh blood.  Or is Priyanka doing it to save her ‘bitter-half’ as yesterday Robert Vadra moved a Delhi Court seeking anticipatory bail in a money-laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED)? Who knows? 

But for now it’s good that a woman, a 47-year- old mother of two, has stepped into Indian politics that lacks young female leaders at the top. Let’s see if Yuvrani delivers the leadership, the allure and victory that have eluded the Congress. And for the sake of a robust Opposition let’s hope Yuvrani delivers, because a healthy democracy needs a strong Opposition and we don’t have one now.

P.S: Ah! Politics is truly the art of possibilities and U-turns. In 1980, after Sanjay Gandhi’s death, Rajiv Gandhi was planning to join politics. Journalist Hamish Macdonald of Far Eastern Economic Review asked Sonia Gandhi how she felt about it and she had replied, “I would rather have my children begging in the streets of Delhi than him becoming a politician.” Rajiv Gandhi went on to become the PM, she herself later went on to become the President of the Congress Party, then the background PM of India and now both her children are politicians. Wah! Long live dynastic politics!!

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12 COMMENTS ON THIS POST To “Can Indira 2.0 save Congress?”

  1. swamy says:

    Gandhi name has been abused by this family. Indira Nehru married Feroze Gandhi and became Indira Gandhi. Sonia Maino married Rajiv Gandhi and became Sonia Gandhi. Now Priyanka Gandhi married Vadra and is still being called Priyanka Gandhi, not Priyanka Vadra.. Instead of Mohandas Gandhi, if Patel has been #1 in independence struggle, they would all be called Indira Patel, Sonia Patel, and Priyanka Patel..

    India can progress when an ordinary person can become a PM elected by majority of people from India. Change the constitution for PM to be elected directly by people, not through back doors.

  2. The Congress with nothing convincing to show after over six decades of misrule is again desperately cash in on the ‘Gandhi’ name through Priyanka Vadra more known for the alleged misdeeds of her husband. The political bankruptcy of the party is glaring as wants to encash her charisma based on looks resembling her grandmother Indira Gandhi who had no qualms about corruption which she considered as a ‘worldwide phenomenon’.

  3. SKR says:

    Our voters are such idiots that she can even win!Donr be surprised some day she becomes the PM and Vadra can become an FM

  4. Siddu says:

    Please vote priyanka Gandhi until Marata and Raihaan Vadra turn 18. They we can start voting them!we don’t want to be ruled by a Chaiwala any more! Nation has changed a lot in 4 years!

  5. Prakash R says:

    Bhakts have not yet realized what kind of Central Govt we had for the last 5 years! For ignorant (or innocent!) Bhakts, the damage done by the Govt to our people, to our economy, to our reputation is not yet visible. India’s GDP came down due to costly mistakes of demonetization and improper implementation of GST by this Govt. Without studying the impacts of actions (mis actions), this Govt took foolish decisions. Now in order to woo the voters, this Govt., followed the same method of other parties by showing concessions to farmers! This is exactly called bankrupt Governance!
    Let us not forgive this Govt., for the costly mistakes. Let us bring in new faces to our country, it need not be from ancestral family.

    • Rao says:

      Modi and Gang have brainwashed so much with fake messages that people don’t realize where they are heading to.
      Advertising can not always fetch result without any core product, lets see what Modi’s advertisement fetches in 2019.

  6. Rahul says:

    I know Congress is not perfect! I know Congress masterminded these scams and when Vadra entered the scene looting was uncontrolled and Congress image suffered but democracy is important and I will vote for Congress even if people call me dumb!

    list of major scams under the Congress/Gandhi family regime

    The list is as follows:

    Bofors scam, a trademark scam of Gandhi family.
    Coal Scam: CAG calculated it to be to the tune of 1.86 Lakhs crores, whoops mind-boggling!
    2G Spectrum Scam: To the tune of 1.76 Lakhs crore!!
    Common Wealth Games scams: To the tune of 70,000 crores, involved parties Suresh Kalmadi, Sheila Dikshit, Robert Vadra amongst others
    Chopper Scam: Perfect example of bribery and corruption in India 610 Million!
    Tatra Truck scam: dirty defence deal
    Adarsh Housing scam: a building made for war widows, but flats occupied by Congress big wigs!
    Cash for vote scam in 2011
    Satyam Scam
    Telgi stamp paper scam
    Insurance Scam
    Other Scam and Scandals.

    Telecom scam (Sukh Ram)

    HDW Submarine Scam

    Bitumen scam

    Tansi land deal

    Securities Scam

    JMM Bribery Scandal

    St Kitts case

    Urea scam

    CRB Scam

    Anantnag transport scam

    1971 Nagarwala scandal

    Fooder scam

    Churhat lottery scam

    Animal Husbandry Case (1990)

    Bombay Stock Exchange Fraud

    Hawala scandal (1993)

    Bangalore-Mysore Corridor (1995)

    Sukh Ram (1996)

    Fodder Scam in Bihar (1996)

    Kerala SNC Lavalin power scandal(97)

    Home Trade

    Ketan Parekh Scandal,

    Barak Missile Deal Scandal,

    Tehelka Scandal (2001)

    UTI Scam

    Taj corridor case (2002–2003)

    DSQ Software Scam

    IPO Scam- karvy

    Oil-for-food programme scam (Natwar) (05)

    Human Trafficking Scam (Babubhai Katara)

    Cash-for-votes scandal

    Satyam scandal

    2G Spectrum- 2008

    Madhu Koda, laundering money Rs. 4000 Cr

    NREGA Scam00

    • syed matheen says:

      You have to be in CBI top post. You have a bright future as current agencies grazing donkeys since 5 years even after so many scams.

      • Sunil says:

        So Modi is a CHOR, BJP is a party of all the scams,Congress a a clean party where we never had any scams before, your religion is a peaceful religion, Hinduism is hateful and discriminatory to women, and Hindus are intolerant! What other truth you want to propagate?

        • syed matheen says:

          I do not have evidence to say Modi is chor and we do not bluff like bhakt’s do, sorry BJP is clean party, No one went to Jail, no one watched blue film in assembly, no one molested, no one honored rapist, all are highly educated especially Dr, Yogi.
          All religions are peaceful, but where like Nityanada, Asaram Bapu, Sugnaydas, Ram Rahim, Rampal swami etc… since they found accused and convicted in rape, i cannot say that entire community is rapist. They are rapist not entire community.
          By the way where is Jan lok pal ??
          Is triple Talaaq important for country or Jan Lok pal ?? was there any effort to introduce ??
          A Jail bird Yeddy is getting geared to become CM, for your knowledge he is under trail for 14 corruption cases , Is this clean politics from BJP ??

  7. Khan says:

    Some of questions Go unanswered
    1. 100% Beef , Buffalo Ban uniform though out country in Goa , North East should be implemented. Beef & Buffalo export should be Banned .. Currency Notes were Banned overnight, 100% Majority why Beef/Buffalo is not Banned
    2. Not Even single Dollar Black Money has come back
    3. 4-5 years Not even single corrupt congress person is accused or Jailed , Past 60 years unable to prove ….
    4. International Oil Prices are below 35 USD/ Barrel , still Petrol prices are on Rise
    5. International waiver and Facility to Buy Oil in Rupees from Iran which is Biggest Boon but Petrol prices are on upward trend .. Common man is suffering
    6.. Rafael , Mehul Chinubhai Choksi , Mallay, Nirav…… list Goes on
    7. Lord Ram Mandir even in Majority is not resolved making political issue .. till Election
    8………………..
    9…

  8. Syed says:

    MOdi is a Durpok and a Chor! He s a scamster of magnanimous proportions! Before Modi became the PM aka Chowkidar, there were no issues. Poverty had been eradicated by Garibi hatavo program itself long time agoo ! Pakistan and China respected India and the first family was well respected in the entire world! In fact when Rahul went to Harvard for higher studies, even the professors there were shocked about his knowledge and understanding!
    Modi on the other hand , a Chaiwala just us corrupt to the core convinced majority of Indians that there were lots if problems like poverty, unemployment, scams, corruption etc , they did not exist except in Modis head! So, he infected the people with this idea , now in 4 years, there are so many scams, corruption, caste politics, ill treatment of minorities which were unheard of in the 60 years before Modi!
    Modi keeps advertising that his family leads a simple life, but the reality is, they are not even his family. They are paid actors firm RSS! Neither his daily nor his degree is genuine!

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