The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
“Today, unlike the past, the family needs the party more than the party needs the family,” R. Jagannathan, a Mumbai-based political commentator and editorial director of Swarajya, told AFP.
“I think that Gandhi name is past its sell-by date. His mother at least had AN interest (in politics), Rahul doesn’t seem interested… he is unsuitable for leadership,” Jagannathan added.
Rahul Gandhi made an unsuccessful attempt to mediate between regional allies in a dispute that led to Bihar state falling to the BJP last month, and the loyalty he commands within the party is open to doubt.
Jagannathan suggested the once-dominant family should make way for “real grassroot leaders,” but Sadanand Dhume of the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, said a change in leadership would be problematic.
“In theory it makes sense to suggest that Congress should outgrow its reliance on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. In reality, the family is all that holds the party together. Take it out and Congress collapses like a proverbial house of cards,” Dhume said.
Rahul’s younger sister Priyanka, who many see as an alternative leader, is hampered by a controversy over her husband’s property dealings, and has so far refused to take a more prominent role.
With the opposition in disarray, the BJP and its allies now rule 18 of India’s 29 states, and look set for more gains in the upper house.
“The Rajya Sabha is effectively the only real political check on Modi’s power. Once the BJP gains control, Modi will be free to pursue an expansive legislative agenda on a range of issues,” Dhume said.
In the current opposition vacuum, even one-time Modi challengers like Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar now say Modi’s victory in the 2019 national election is a foregone conclusion.
