There is intense speculation on whether the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Parliament would lead to creation of yet another power centre within her own party and whether those opposed to her on the treasury benches would devise some new way of containing her.
Indira Gandhi’s granddaughter, is set to make her Lok Sabha debut this week, thus raising huge expectations amongst her followers. She has the charisma and the ability to connect with the people and her speeches during the campaign of the Parliamentary poll provided indications that she would never be taken lightly by her opponents. She was the only one who matched the Prime Minister when it came to a political combat, though Narendra Modi is far more experienced and astute as a politician and Priyanka has to go a long way to match his political skills.
Never the less, She has the uncanny sense that would put some life in a demoralized Congress, particularly after the massive defeat in Maharashtra. She has to understand that if she has to augment her brother, Rahul’s efforts as the leader of Opposition, she would have to contribute in strengthening the organization, which needs a complete overhaul.
There has been a continuous debate within the party that she was one of the two power centres, and her being active in Parliament now may bring to surface the latent sibling rivalry that has always existed. What needs to be clearly understood is that Priyanka would never try to upstage her brother, and in fact would play second fiddle to him while taking on the government and its supporters in and outside Parliament. The Gandhis may have their share of differences on vital matters, but they have never allowed these to show in public. In fact, the Gandhis always appear to be united when they are facing challenges from their adversaries.
Moreover, as long as Sonia Gandhi is there, she will never allow her son and daughter to take positions which are irreconcilable. She has always played the dominant role in the family and though she appears favorably inclined towards Rahul, she has never permitted the impression of being indifferent to her daughter’s ambitions to gain currency. On their part, there is never an occasion when the siblings do not demonstrate their affection for each other.
Politics, however, is a pragmatic game and there is bound to be a clash of opinions between those close to the two Gandhis at some stage or the other. It would be a challenge for the bosses to devise a strategy where the perception of the sister overshadowing the brother does not get created.
Rahul has done well as the LoP, and has put the treasury benches on the defensive. Now with Priyanka by his side, the attack on the government is bound to get sharper. Although politics within Parliament is influenced by both strategy and rules, yet the presence of the Gandhi siblings would make things interesting. The Treasury benches would also find a way to draw a wedge between the two and raise issues pertaining to Priyanka’s husband, Robert, in order to divert attention. For the record, it should be mentioned that there is no wrong doing against Robert that has been established in any court of law.
The Lok Sabha shall also witness the exhibition of women power. The Opposition now has Priyanka, Mahua Moitra, Kanimozhi and Supriya Sule, all capable speakers to push the government on the backfoot. Both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister would have to find an effective way of countering them during debates since it would not be easy to take them lightly.
It is also interesting to note that it is very unusual for any family to have three members in Parliament simultaneously. While Rahul and Priyanka would be spearheading the Congress onslaught in the Lok Sabha, there is Sonia Gandhi in the Rajya Sabha to express her opposition against the Centre.
The BJP has over the years been talking of eliminating dynastic politics. However, within its own ranks, there are leaders who have risen purely because they belonged to privileged families. Thus, the accusation does not carry much weight since people are aware of these issues. The Gandhis who have been considered the foremost dynasty, had till the last Lok Sabha, four members related to each other in Parliament. It was indeed a remarkable coincidence that Sonia and Rahul from the Congress and Maneka Gandhi and her son, Feroze Varun from the BJP were part of the last Lok Sabha.
For those interested in history, every member of the Nehru Gandhi family, starting with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has now been a member of Parliament at some stage or the other. Nehru’s daughter, Indira and son-in-law, Feroze were MPs. Similarly, the couple’s sons, Rajiv and Sanjay became MPs as well. This was followed by the daughters-in-law, Sonia and Maneka and subsequently their children.
In other words, the BJP has not been able to wipe out the dynastic dimension of Indian politics since the electorate has not allowed this to happen. Therefore, any attempt to have a Gandhi free Parliament has not succeeded so far.
Priyanka’s debut coincides with the time when the Parliament is going to witness an uproar over multiple issues including the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe allegations against Industrialist Gautam Adani. She has to tread the path cautiously and should be in no hurry to prove herself. She has the fire and the charisma, and only time will tell whether that would help in reviving her party’s fortunes.
