It’s been a mixed day for the Gandhis. In one of her rare appearances, Sonia Gandhi was seen at the press conference room in the party headquarters on Thursday along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi. It was about money. Rahul Gandhi rang the alarm bells, saying, “The party has no money to even buy train tickets.” This is in the context of the income tax department freezing the bank accounts of the Congress for “non-compliance”.
The Congress is worried and an angry Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the media once again for not raising this issue. The party says it can’t contest the Lok Sabha polls beginning next month on a level playing field, as neither media coverage nor funding is available to it.
VICTIM CARD WORKS?
But does this work? This victim card? Why did the party flaunt its strength on Thursday? This is because the Congress feels that the fund crunch could become a real issue. It may have to go back to the people to ask for money and this would be the best way to show itself as a party that is neither entitled nor rich.
The 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections were fought on the pitch that the Modi Narendra government had risen from the roots and was not entitled. The Congress under Rahul Gandhi had attacked the PM with “Chowkidar Chor Hai”, which backfired. As the BJP-led NDA pushes for “400 paar” this time, the Congress wants to project itself as a counter, which is a messiah of the poor and backward and is not rich like the saffron party. The Congress is making another attempt to showcase itself as a party that alone cares for the real poor people of India. And what better way than to be seen as a party that is not rich by going to the people for chanda or donation?
WILL FALLING BACK ON CASTE HELP?
Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi who entered politics to showcase himself as a youth icon who would change the party to make it modern, democratic, and an equaliser, has now taken recourse in the time-tested caste angle. So, during the entire Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress MP kept talking about the caste census and how it alone could help the backward youth. But not everyone has been comfortable with this narrative. While most have preferred to remain mum, one man who broke his silence has ended up embarrassing the Congress and the Gandhis.
That man is Anand Sharma, who was close to Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia. In a letter to Kharge, he quoted Indira Gandhi to say that she had spoken out against the politics of caste and so had Rajiv Gandhi, therefore, why is the Congress talking about a caste census now?
This evoked a sharp response from the Congress but as expected pleased the BJP. The caste factor has been strongly countered by the saffron party, with the Prime Minister saying that the only “castes” that matter to him are the poor, youth, farmers, and women. Inclusivity versus reservation can be a tough fight. For the Congress, it means giving up its legacy and a huge gamble. The point is – would it be worth it?
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