For Rahul Gandhi, the gatherings have generally been below par, especially in a Delhi locality where groups of women even began to leave — in search of drinking water, as chief minister Sheila Dikshit explained. It has been no different in the case of Sonia Gandhi. What the unsatisfactory turnouts indicate is that the dynasty has lost much of its earlier appeal. Yet, the Congress has no alternative but to depend on the party’s first family because there is no one else in the organisation who can enthuse the audience — neither Manmohan Singh nor any of his cabinet colleagues. It goes without saying that he not only remains the party’s best bet, but the only one. His problem, however, is that the Manmohan Singh government’s failures over the last few years leading to an economic slump, low investment, high inflation, decline in the value of the rupee and the like have left him with little to say. To make matters worse, he appears to have taken the wrong track by focusing on the Congress’s concern for the poor, which only confirms the government’s inability to improve their lot. This is an attitude which will alienate not only the middle class but even Rahul’s targeted audience of the underprivileged who want to do well in life as a result of a buoyant economy and not be dependent on official doles. gulfnews/opinions/columnists/rahul-gandhi-stumbling-but-modi-not-yet-a-clear-winner-1.1258841
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 21:07:54 +0000