AFTER his visit to Britain early this year, Rahul Gandhi is now on a six day three city tour of the US. And as was the case with his visit to Britain, his activities and utterances in the US are also generating some attention and controversy. And as the visit progresses, it looks set to stir up a hornet’s nest back home. On his first day in America, Gandhi addressed a gathering of the Indian diaspora in Santa Clara, California, and said that the RSS and the BJP are controlling all the instruments of politics in India, including media. He also directly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawing ire of the BJP. The party said that Gandhi was “insulting the country” on his foreign trips. “Is mud-slinging all that he has left to do?” asked union minister Anurag Thakur.
Gandhi in his interaction has come across as more aggressive in his criticism of the government. He highlighted the need for a united opposition, emphasizing the Congress party’s successful approach in the recent assembly elections in Karnataka. His speech shed light on the Congress party’s strategic approach in the Karnataka elections. He expressed hope that with a proper alignment of the opposition and a compelling alternative vision, victory is possible. As for the opposition unity, Gandhi said Congress party is working towards it and it is “coming along very nicely.” It is true that in recent past there has been a concerted effort to unite the opposition and Gandhi together with leaders like the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar have been at the forefront. But as things stand, it is far from coming to fruition. And without a united opposition, it would be close to impossible to defeat the BJP whose victory in 2024 is seen as a foregone conclusion.
But it is true that since his cross-country yatra, Gandhi has become more vocal and pro-active in his politics. For once, his statements are carrying conviction. One good thing is that Gandhi has shown some promise to rise up to the political challenge, even though his image makeover is still a project in works. It is true that the yatra has generated immense goodwill for Congress and Gandhi but the political ground is still far from shifting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to be the unstoppable and all-powerful leader, and no other national leader, let alone Gandhi, comes close. But in politics, situation sometimes can change dramatically. So coming weeks and months could be interesting.
Gandhi’s engagement with the diaspora in the United States comes ahead of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the White House. So, their conduct, activities and utterances and the consequent attention they draw would be of a crucial political significance back home.
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