A fanatic wrapped with egos

Saswat Panigrahi

In the heat and dust of Uttar Pradesh election, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has racked up the past again. This time he demanded credit for the Gandhi family for India’s freedom, by severing a part of it, and for pushing India to the 21st century. Earlier, he caused a similar furore by claiming that had a Gandhi been in the power he would not have allowed Babri Masjid’s demolition.

Evaluating these remarks it is evident that the young Gandhi is so fanatic about his family’s history that earlier he did not even spare to attack a dead Prime Minister from his own party.

Living in braggadocios he sometime claimed that the Gandhi family was the contractor of the Independence from the British. In order to remain peerless in the freedom movement the family suavely brushed aside the contributions of other great patriots. Instead of saying that Indira Gandhi was instrumental for liberating Bagladesh he claimed a credit for splitting Pakistan. Had he been said that Indira Gandhi was instrumental for liberating Bagladesh, he would have got a scope for his defence. His remark on splitting Pakistan has not only invited a public flak in the country, but also put a question mark on the improving relationship with Pakistan.

Rahul claims, his family built India’s bridge into the 21st century. This implies, Gandhis are instrumental for all major events and timeline through which India has reached at the millennia. And by saying this he has disgraced the testimony of time.

His remarks are a bundle of flaws rapped with a bag of egos. Amid his teasing remarks one thing is loud and clear. The Cambridge-educated M.Phil in Development Economics has a very poor understanding over the politics.

Election is fought with issues. In UP there are a number of contemporary issues affecting common men’s life. But, by bringing these non-issues to the public gallery Rahul Gandhi proves his immaturity in understanding the basic issues. Its an irony that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tells voters of Uttar Pradesh, “Rahul Gandhi is your future. He is sweating it out for you.”

Even more ironical is the fact that, while the Congress cadre sees Rahul's statement as reiteration of a historical reality, party leaders are unable to explain the need for raking up the sensitive past, which could provoke a diplomatic spat with Pakistan.

In the 82nd Congress Plenary session in Hyderabad Rahul managed to hog headlines by hurdling “A leadership cannot be created. It has to be built slowly, brick by brick.”

But how many bricks the son of the Gandhi clan needs to prove himself as a leader. Let’s wait and watch.