The "shirtless’" protest by Youth Congress workers at the AI Global Summit in New Delhi grabbed eyeballs for its shock value, if nothing else. The message itself—the contentious Indo-US trade deal - was lost in the din of the political row that ensued.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself jumped in to slam the Congress for "dirty and naked politics". Rahul Gandhi hit back to say, "I am proud of my Babbar Sher comrades…".
It’s not difficult to guess where this is going. The pattern is so familiar that it’s almost tedious. A few more vitriolic exchanges and then both will move on till they butt heads again on something else altogether.
Performance of Dissent
By now, one has lost count of the number of issues Rahul Gandhi has raised and then discarded to attack the Modi government over the past 12 years. Sample these: the Rafale deal, the Adani nexus, the Galwan clash with China, democracy, economy, RSS, Agniveer, Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump’s claims about brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire, caste census, Election Commission, former army chief General M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir, the Indo-US trade deal.
There were plenty of catchy slogans—"suit-boot ki sarkar", "chowkidar chor", "vote chori", "Narendra Surrender". And many photo ops—Rahul Gandhi riding a motorbike in Bihar for a 'Voter Adhikar Yatra', Rahul Gandhi outside Parliament waving a copy of Naravane’s book which the publishers claim has not been printed yet, Rahul Gandhi commiserating with the family of an Agniveer who died in action but had yet to receive the promised compensation.
But little else. What started out as promising campaigns that stirred public interest failed to gain momentum as a sustained movement with potential to rock the government. Rahul Gandhi has waxed and waned, seemingly content to ruffle Modi’s feathers and enjoy the spectacle of the BJP hopping like a cat on a hot tin roof to defend its leader.
This is lazy politics undoubtedly. There seems to be little inclination to engage with an issue thoughtfully, craft it into an ideological plank, create public awareness and prepare for a struggle which would eventually lead to electoral gains.
Vision Without Back-up
There are reasons for this. One is that Rahul Gandhi seems to lack the rigour of a serious politician. Just as an example, take his vote chori campaign. It was building nicely to culminate in a 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' through Bihar just before the assembly polls. He managed to attract crowds and created a wave of support among vulnerable sections who worried that the EC’s special intensive revision exercise would deprive them of their vote.
Yet, he suddenly vanished from the Bihar scene after completing the yatra and was hardly seen when elections actually rolled around except for a brief appearance to frolic with local youth in a village pond.
His seeming indifference was one of the causes that not only left the Congress battered with its lowest ever tally but also pulled down the INDIA bloc which crashed to a humiliating defeat.
Rahul Gandhi’s other handicap is that the Congress no longer has the organisational muscle or the stomach for street politics. Unlike the BJP which is twice blessed with a strong party cadre and foot soldiers from the RSS, the Congress lacks boots on the ground. It has also grown soft and sluggish after decades in power. It can do a hit-and-run operation like the Youth Congress raid at the AI Summit. But it cannot put in the hard work required to generate enthusiasm and momentum for an effective people’s movement.
After a string of successive electoral losses, Rahul Gandhi has learnt the hard way that he will have to look for alternative methods to defeat Modi. He seems to have decided it’s easier to try and shred the brand to destroy the man rather than battle with the BJP’s formidable electoral machinery which is moving with deadly efficiency in pursuit of a "Congress Mukt Bharat’’.
Using guerilla tactics, Rahul Gandhi sporadically ambushes Modi with surprise personal attacks as he seeks to deflate the carefully crafted image of a strong nationalist leader with a 56-inch chest and juxtapose it with the image he is trying to build for himself, of a fearless leader in sync with the common man and fired with determination to fight for justice for the poor and the marginalised.
Modi vs Rahul
In this Brand Rahul versus Brand Modi battle, everything is scripted, including his clothes.
He began his speech in the recent budget session with jitjitsu moves to display his prowess at hand combat. He wears T-shirts in the height of winter as a symbol of ascetic internal strength. He fries jalebis with a humble halwai, declines to attend the glittering Ambani wedding, gets his hands dirty learning carpentry in a tiny shop and even for formal functions, chooses the simple kurta-pyjama for formal occasions over a specially tailored outfit stitched with imported material, topped with an expensive designer shawl in winter and colourful sleeveless jackets in summer.
Rahul Gandhi has pitched himself as the Biblical Daniel to Modi’s Goliath, hoping that one day, his slingshot will strike between the eyes and demolish the giant who dominates the political landscape today.
It is unfortunate that today’s politics has become about personalities and brands rather than real issues. Underlying this reductionist approach is a smug belief that without Modi, the BJP will lose; and the gainer will be the Congress as the only other national party.
If only it were so simple.
(Arati R Jerath is a Delhi-based senior journalist. She tweets @AratiJ. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)