Congress has been decimated in the Bihar elections. Rahul Gandhi rode into Bihar on an Enfield Bullet as part of the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra.’
He thundered through 23 districts for over 16 days accusing the BJP of ‘vote chori.’ And then…poof !… he disappeared. His party workers were left bewildered and abandoned.
This is not leadership. It is irresponsibility. In fact, it is an insult to every Congress worker who still believes that the party’s revival is possible.
This forces one to ask: “What can Rahul Gandhi change to be more effective?”
For starters, how about a work ethic? Politics is a 24×7 profession in India and unless you are willing to put in the time, you will never shine.
Rahul is 55 years old and has been in politics for 21 years. Yet he seems like a misfit.
His father, Rajiv Gandhi, was also a reluctant politician, but he learnt quickly.
Rahul, by contrast, remains perpetually miscast, perpetually needing to be defended and shielded.
In the Gandhi family, entitlement to power does not come with responsibility. Responsibility is outsourced to loyalists, who defend the family ‘tooth, nail and tail.’
The last tucked firmly between their legs as they abandon pride and patriotism in favour of dynastic devotion.
Meanwhile, every decision of Rahul and his every failure is explained away by someone else.
The Gandhi brand, once political gold dust, is losing its lustre. If Congressmen truly want to save their party and by extension, strengthen Indian democracy, then they must ask the Gandhis to step aside.
But can they?
India desperately needs a strong Opposition. Unfortunately, Congress continues to fail in this role, largely because the Gandhis fear internal competition more than national irrelevance. They cannot tolerate another leader becoming the face of the party.
We saw that in 2022, when the Congress decided after 27 years to elect a non-Gandhi Party President. What did they do?
They chose 80-year-old Malli- karjun Kharge as the ‘consensus candidate’ over 66-year-old Shashi Tharoor.
The Gandhis needed someone to warm the President’s chair without threatening the family’s control. Kharge became another Manmohan Singh. A proxy.
The Congress’ inability to retain strong leaders is not an accident. It is a dynastic strategy.
Mamata Banerjee left and took Bengal with her. Sharad Pawar left and built an empire in Maharashtra. Jagan Reddy left and dominated Andhra. Himanta Biswa Sarma left and delivered Assam and the Northeast to the BJP.
Congress values loyalty, not performance. Rahul could have promoted Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora and Jyotiraditya Scindia. These were young leaders with public support and administrative ability, but he didn’t. Today, Scindia is in the BJP, Pilot is sulking, Deora is in the Shiv Sena and the party is shrinking.
Rahul Gandhi is fast becoming India’s political Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up and lead. Worse, he doesn’t let someone else lead either.
Rahul wants power without accountability and that will be Congress’ undoing.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi goes around the world claiming the BJP is weakening democracy.
The truth, however, is that the BJP is not weakening Indian democracy. Rather, Rahul Gandhi and his family are weakening Indian democracy.
How?!
By refusing to make space for competent leadership in the Congress party, which in turn deprives Indian democracy of having an effective Opposition.
Congress is still the only national party capable of challenging the BJP. But the dynastic insecurity of the Gandhi family is throttling potential leaders and the Congress party remains stuck in quicksand.
Congress workers must now make a choice: Democracy or dynasty? Because choosing “Madam’s family” means choosing irrelevance. Worse, it means choosing to damage Indian democracy.
And if the answer is “Yuvraj forever,” then Congress and Rahul Gandhi have no moral right to go around the world lecturing that Indian democracy is in danger under the BJP.
If Congress hopes to return to relevance, it must amputate its gangrenous political limbs — the self-centred old guard and yes, even the Gandhis.
Otherwise, India may soon get a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’, an outcome that would hurt not just Congress, but the health of our democracy.
Maybe the time has come for the Gandhis to step back, so Congress can move forward and our democracy can get stronger.
This post was published on November 15, 2025 5:49 pm