‘Rahul must stick to his policy pillars’
23 July 2012 1:48 AM GMT
Now that Pranab Mukherjee has been ‘kicked upstairs’, the Congress party has cleared the way for Rahul Gandhi to be responsible for a larger role in the party and in the government so that eventually he can become the country’s prime minister.
Based on how many times Mukherjee was bypassed for the prime minister’s job, this analyst had predicted that the party’s top priority would be to get Mukherjee elected as the president so that the decks are cleared for the much awaited rise of Rahul Gandhi. Mukherjee deserves the respect because he was first bypassed as the seniormost leader when Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984 to bring in Rajiv Gandhi and then again was ignored when Rajiv himself was assassinated seven years later.
Although the party has never presented Mukherjee’s selection in this scenario, the coincidences clearly point to that direction. It could be just a coincidence that Rahul showed his willingness to acquire a larger role in the party and the government on Thursday when lawmakers were voting for the presidential election and just as it was becoming very clear that Mukherjee’s election is a foregone conclusion. In fact, some of the Indian textbooks printed before the election referred to him as the 13th president.
Now that the way is clear, Rahul Gandhi has a huge responsibility in front of him of rising to the occasion in a very intelligent and politically savvy way. He should realize that the shoes he is going to have to step into are much bigger than those of his father. Those are the shoes Rahul is going to step into. But from all perspectives, he has the background and understanding to become a good leader of the upcoming younger generation of India. His humiliating defeat in getting his party win in the Uttar Pradesh elections must have given him the insight into India’s murky politics and an idea of what kind of responsibility he is getting into.
Based on how many times Mukherjee was bypassed for the prime minister’s job, this analyst had predicted that the party’s top priority would be to get Mukherjee elected as the president so that the decks are cleared for the much awaited rise of Rahul Gandhi. Mukherjee deserves the respect because he was first bypassed as the seniormost leader when Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984 to bring in Rajiv Gandhi and then again was ignored when Rajiv himself was assassinated seven years later.
Although the party has never presented Mukherjee’s selection in this scenario, the coincidences clearly point to that direction. It could be just a coincidence that Rahul showed his willingness to acquire a larger role in the party and the government on Thursday when lawmakers were voting for the presidential election and just as it was becoming very clear that Mukherjee’s election is a foregone conclusion. In fact, some of the Indian textbooks printed before the election referred to him as the 13th president.
Now that the way is clear, Rahul Gandhi has a huge responsibility in front of him of rising to the occasion in a very intelligent and politically savvy way. He should realize that the shoes he is going to have to step into are much bigger than those of his father. Those are the shoes Rahul is going to step into. But from all perspectives, he has the background and understanding to become a good leader of the upcoming younger generation of India. His humiliating defeat in getting his party win in the Uttar Pradesh elections must have given him the insight into India’s murky politics and an idea of what kind of responsibility he is getting into.
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