In world politics, such a letter is unparalleled, if not unprecedented. It is hard to remember the existence of any such letter that is full of such contradictions. On one hand, the writer has declared himself responsible for his party’s defeat in elections, on the other he is found lamenting that no one stood beside him. If the writer is really serious about owning responsibility, why should he blame others for not supporting him? Was he not aware of his arsenal or support before jumping into the poll battle? One can only be sympathetic towards these people who are completely unaware of reality. Such individuals can never be leaders. So it is no wonder, that Rahul Gandhi’s dream of ruling India was unfulfilled in 2019. Whether, he can fulfil the same dream in 2024, when next general election is due has also come under question after his open letter explaining the reasons of his resignation as Congress president.
As things stand right now, Rahul Gandhi has very little chance at making a comeback to the political centre stage soon. Various factors have gone against him over the years. It is most amazing that opposition parties didn’t have to toil hard to find loopholes in his performance as a political person; it was Rahul himself who provided lot of ammunition to his political opponents. It was proven that politics was not Rahul’s forte. If he is in politics, it is because he belongs to a family which gave India three prime ministers. Contrastingly, Rahul’s qualities do not mimic those of a leader, perhaps his strengths lie elsewhere. Moreover, he has never learnt from his mistakes.
But how can Rahul learn from his mistakes? He is surrounded by people like his sister Priyanka who are over-protective in guarding Rahul from any criticism. After Rahul accused his party colleagues of betrayal in the said letter, it was the duty of his well wishers to inform him that this was not the ideal way to lead a political party. A leader will have to take everyone in his fold. If he continues to blame his colleagues, as a leader he will be devoid of any credibility. But, Priyanka praised Rahul for his courage and claimed that while no one resigned owning responsibility of the party’s defeat, her brother showed courage by doing do. It is difficult to understand the meaning of courage that Priyanka speaks of. If courage means blaming, Rahul has definitely shown courage. But if courage means fighting with his back against the wall and to emerge victorious, Rahul Gandhi lacks it.
Winning and defeat are part and parcel of elections. No leader can win each and every election. If Rahul Gandhi happens to be really courageous, he should have vowed to bring the party back to power at the very first opportunity, instead of virtually going in to a shell and blaming fellow party men and women. He should keep in mind that there is no last date in the political calendar. Whether he will remain party president or not is his personal choice, but he should not take any steps that can weaken the party. Rahul Gandhi is doing exactly the same. His stand after the party’s defeat is weakening the Congress. Such a leader is not ideal for the party at this present moment.
