Rahul Gandhi is all set for his coronation as the next president of the grand old party Congress. He walks in at a time when Congress faces the single biggest crisis of existence. This is a brave move by the Congress, and Rahul - who cannot boast of many big political upsets- will be up against a resurgent BJP. For the Congress this will also be one of the strongest challenges in the history of independent India.
There will be more that is required to be done besides taking political pot shots at the PM and talking of issues where the saffron party has failed. Rahul will have to go beyond GST, demonetisation and inflation. A new narrative and a game plan needs to be clearly defined. The window of opportunities for Rahul is wide open where millions in rural India still await a change and where farmer suicides continue to be a blot on India's development story.
This is going to be a generational change and with that a host of old issues will come to the foreground. The constant conflict between the new faces and the old horses has been dogging the party for long in several states including Goa. The bickering between Rajasthan ex-CM Ashok Gehlot and the state chief Sachin Pilot who is the young face is a classic case. Rahul's strategy on his old guard like P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel and others will be keenly watched against the backdrop where he has failed to build up a strong second rung of leaders. Will Rahul's leadership bring about a refreshing change in GPCC and will this be a victory of sorts for the aspiring new Congress faces in Goa? Time will tell.
Rahul hasn't shown his mettle in terms of turning the tables on BJP in elections and the forthcoming polls in states like Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and five other states will be the first big test. For Rahul to be accepted as a leader, he has to turn the tide. It's a huge challenge not only in terms of heading the party, but also how he places himself in a mix of Opposition. Looking ahead at the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he needs those big victories in States to command respect from senior names in political circles like Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh, Mayawati and Sharad Pawar. While Rahul for now will not be seen as the PM face of the entire opposition, it is Sonia Gandhi who will have to play the role of a mentor and a negotiator given her excellent rapport and camaraderie with the top guns of politics.
Rahul's walk to the throne is marked by the fiercest of attacks being played in the background with Aurangzeb and dynasty politics taking centre-stage and Chai-walla 2.0 being unleashed even as the Congress appears optimistic that the party will be strengthened like never before. Rahul has lots on his agenda amid a sagging party morale which needs an immediate makeover. The question of whether the crown is earned or inherited is extraneous.
