Hope on `dream team' thicker than statistics

SANJAY K. JHA, TT, 25 Jan 2019, New Delhi: Congress workers across the country are rapturous over Priyanka Gandhi's formal entry into politics, with everybody appearing to expect a "decisive impact" on the general election, followed by a turnaround in the long term.

The excitement is far higher than that seen during Rahul Gandhi's anointment as party president. Congress workers' faith in Priyanka's vote-catching abilities, in contrast to Rahul's, appears absolute.

Few appear concerned that neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul has succeeded in reviving the party in states where it has become a minor player, perhaps with the exception of Gujarat in the last Assembly elections.

The party had drifted onto a downhill path after the exit of the P.V. Narasimha Rao government in 1996 and although Sonia, who made her debut in 1998, led the party back to power at the Centre in 2004 and 2009, she failed to resurrect it in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha or Bengal. The Congress touched rock bottom in 2014, encouraging opponents to dream of a "Congress-free" India.

However, Pankaj Sharma, former Congress secretary and All India Congress Committee member from Madhya Pradesh, doesn't agree that Sonia and Rahul have failed to resurrect the party in problem states.

"Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government came into being after decades of struggle by the RSS and the formation of a grand coalition. Sonia played a historic role by reversing the Congress's decline and snatching power from an immensely popular Vajpayee," he said.

"You can't judge Sonia against the UP-Bihar yardstick; her priorities were different." Sharma defended Rahul too, arguing that he had grappled with the worst political crisis in Congress history, which was not of his making. "We got barely 44 seats while Narendra Modi came with a huge majority and the agenda of finishing the Congress. This was a time of national crisis too, as institutions and society came under unprecedented attack," he said.

"But for Rahul's valiant resistance, the narrative of Modi-Amit Shah's invincibility would have continued. You may condemn dynasty politics, but if India is in a position to counter Modi-Shah's dominance in the run-up to the general election, the Nehru-Gandhi family has played a pivotal role." Shahnawaz Alam, a social activist from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh who joined the Congress recently, agrees.

"It is wrong to judge Rahul against the criterion of organisational recovery as he had to deal with a crisis under the Modi-Shah (duopoly)," he said.

"He single-handedly turned the tide in Gujarat and Karnataka and delivered a debilitating blow to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Today, if nobody talks of an uninterrupted 50-year rule by the RSS-BJP, Rahul is the reason." Shahnawaz added: "The biggest significance of the timing of Priyanka's entry is that Rahul is ensconced as the party's top leader and she will work as a support system. The Rahul versus Priyanka debate lies buries for good.

"Even ordinary people have now stopped considering Priyanka as a substitute for Rahul and see the (brother-sister) combine as a new powerhouse. We can tell you from the reactions on the ground that the Congress's emergence will hurt both the SamajwadiBSP and the BJP." Jyoti Singh from Bhagalpur, a former spokesperson for the Bihar Congress, said: "Priyanka's charm cuts across caste and religious lines. Her influence will also blur the factional divisions in the party." He said Priyanka would attract support from the youth and women.

"From the kind of reactions I have witnessed in the last 30 hours, I can say that normal politics is over. We will see a significant churn." Asked whether Priyanka's entry would help the Congress win even one additional seat in his home state of Bengal, former All India Congress Committee secretary Subhankar Das was optimistic.

"The support base in Bengal will definitely expand in the long term as the workers are energised. An organisation is not built by magic --- the workers and the booth committees have to work hard," he said.

"But what Priyanka's entry means is reassurance to the oppressed and the downtrodden. She comes as another soldier fighting for truth and justice. Her presence will instil fear in those who do amoral politics." Like Indira Gandhi, Priyanka too is perceived to be popular among the weaker sections.

"Her strength lies in her ability to connect with people from every class, caste and religion. She will be a leader of the weak, poor, youth and women," said Shamim Akhtar, a party worker.

"Rahul will now get enough time to work on organisational reform, policy-making and administration. Priyanka can share his campaign and outreach responsibilities." Kishore Kumar Jha from Madhubani in Bihar said: "Rahul and Priyanka make a dream team and the Congress is destined to make huge gains. I saw enthusiasm among both the upper castes and Dalits yesterday (after Priyanka's political entry was announced)." He added: "Even those opposed to the Congress are talking about the possibility of, and the need for, a new kind of politics in the villages. Upper caste voters angry with Modi had been talking of a lack of options. Now they will see the Congress as an option. In five years, we will regain our lost glory." Asked whether Priyanka's charm was enough to win seats in Uttar Pradesh, Dinesh Singh, who is from Faizabad, was hopeful.

"The Samajwadi-BSP have an infrastructure of support but they don't inspire hope. People in the villages were celebrating yesterday, and political activists as well as ordinary people saw this as a turning point," he said.

"It was a discovery for us that the Nehru-Gandhi family still enjoyed so much goodwill. Communists, Dalits and Muslims told us the Congress would revive now. Priyanka has instantly generated so much curiosity among the youth and the women." In Delhi, Jat leader Naresh Kumar summed up the mood in the party: "The Congress was already on a revival course under Rahul Gandhi. If God had appeared before me and asked, `What do you want as a Congress worker,' I would have said, `Strengthen Rahul's hands. Make Priyanka join him'." He added: "Now we have two powerful activists who will talk peace, harmony and justice. Whether we win the general election or not, the Congress has now secured the strength to rise again."