Rahul Gandhi’s trip to the United States, coming as it does on the eve of the PM’s own trip to the United States, has stirred a hornet’s nest in the capital, more so because Rahul Gandhi has not been very complimentary about the Modi government during his foreign sojourn. The BJP is accusing him of being anti-national, for being critical of India on foreign soil. The Congress for its part says Rahul is not doing what the PM himself did when he was in the Opposition and travelled abroad. Both sides are sparring it out every evening on TV debates, and every other minute, on social media, so I will not go into that.
What I will go into is to ask a simple question—is the BJP over-reacting? The Congress will be the first to tell you that Rahul Gandhi gets little play in the media which for the most part would have probably ignored Rahul’s statements, or underplayed it, had the BJP not publicised the same. It was after the BJP picked up his comments, and began nit-picking on every word various members of his team uttered—including Sam Pitroda—that Rahul’s trip got its share of media hype. Is the BJP deliberately stoking this particular fire to keep Rahul relevant?
With the Opposition banding together and looking to unite for the 2024 polls, the BJP could be a shade worried as to which way the political winds will blow. One smart way to break this Opposition unity is to build up Rahul Gandhi so much that the Congress will propose that he leads the Opposition fight against Modi.
Even if Rahul himself steps aside and doesn’t become the PM face, he will be addressing the maximum rallies and leading the Congress charge against the PM. The BJP will then pick on every word he says and make it a Rahul vs Modi fight, even if that is not the part of the Opposition strategy. To do this, it has to keep Rahul relevant and in the field.
In Karnataka, one of the reasons the Congress fared well was because it let the local leaders lead. At the national level too, the Congress could put forward Mallikarjun Kharge and other star campaigners like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bhupesh Baghel, Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot (if he is still with the Congress) Siddaramaiah, D.K. Shivkumar, Kamal Nath and so on; instead of just focusing on Rahul Gandhi. If it does that, then it can focus on issues rather than personalities. But the minute Rahul becomes the mainstay of the Congress campaign, it will walk into the BJP’s trap.
So if you are wondering what all the fuss was about, here is the answer. It is not so much about what Rahul Gandhi is doing on his trip aborad, rather it is what the BJP wants him to do back home.