Rahul Gandhi is a joke of an opposition to Modi's demonetisation

Imagine for a moment if the much-savaged UPA government led by Manmohan Singh had brought in the disaster that demonetisation has turned out to be. Narendra Modi and the BJP as the Opposition would have made mince meat of the Congress.

For the past one-and-a-half months, we have endured unimaginable suffering and distress - from serpentine queues to lay hands on our own money to nearly 100 deaths linked to it. The misery unleashed by demonetisation apart, there is no clear estimate of the amount of black money recovered.

Demonetisation is a Modi-made disaster. It was done on the advice of charlatans preaching voodoo economics. The only people involved were Modi's trusted man and Gujarat cadre official, revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia, a billionaire baba and a Chennai-based RSS ideologue and chartered accountant.

Let that sink in. Modi did not bother to consult any economist, not even his own chief economic advisor, the toothless NITI Aayog or the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

In one fell swoop, Modi has hurt the credibility the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and compromised its autonomy.

Under governor Urjit Patel, successor to the widely respected Raghuram Rajan who was denied a second term by Modi, the RBI’s reputation has been tarnished.

So much so that the RBI recently ensured that The Economist and the BBC, which have been hugely critical of Patel and demonetisation, were kept out of its press briefing on monetary policy.

All this would have been enough meat for any opposition to latch on to and take the Modi government to the cleaners, right?

Wrong. Because Rahul Gandhi continues his diligent run as Modi's secret weapon, and ensures that the Congress party, which he leads in a shambolic fashion, is a joke.

Consider Gandhi's exertions post-demonetisation - he stood in a line with hundreds of people looking to withdraw money at an ATM besides showing up unexpectedly at several other banks. Leading a united opposition, he addressed a press conference where he claimed that if allowed to speak in the House an "earthquake" would ensue. He added for good measure "that he would explode Modi's balloon by revealing details of his personal corruption in demonetisation and that Modi was terrified of him".

So what revelations did Gandhi make?

At the moment, nothing. So, was it shoot-and-scoot politics? As senior leaders of other parties were scratching their heads in bewilderment Gandhi instead ‘exploded’ the rarely seen opposition unity. Avoiding a planned delegation to meet the President, Gandhi took the advice of an ‘entitled consigliere’ and went to meet Modi instead to discuss loan waivers for farmers.

Bewildered? So was the entire opposition with Gandhi for falling into Modi's trap and abandoning a united front.

If Gandhi does not make the promised revelations on Modi, he will certainly do further damage to his credibility as a serious politician.

Currently Gandhi’s main advisor is Congress chief whip Jyotiraditya Scindia. Rumours swirl about what Gandhi was referring to, but as is often the case with him there is no clarity. Some leaders say he was referring to the Sahara/Birla diaries, but this is unlikely. A member of his coterie talks about an alleged "damaging" audio tape.

Whatever the evidence, Gandhi needs to speak out. Hurling charges against the PM without substantiating looks awful. It also looks like Gandhi has backtracked since nothing was heard about the "bullet-proof" charges on Friday, the day he met the PM.

Has Gandhi taken a leaf out of Modi's book on headline management by these hit-and-run allegations? It's likely to backfire unless he provides proof.

When Manmohan Singh made a rare intervention in the House calling demonetisation “a monumental blunder", the country sat up and took notice. The BJP now yawns and laughs at Gandhi, calling him an "attention-seeking joke".

This when Modi is changing the goal posts on demonetisation with amazing speed. First he said it was meant to target black money and terror funding from across the border, then the focus shifted entirely to black money and now it has become a strategy to transform India into a “less-cash” digital economy. The reason for his confidence is Gandhi and a pathetic excuse of an opposition. Says a senior opposition leader who has been watching Gandhi with amusement for years, "woh kab tak balak rahengey. Ek umar ke baad balak sirf Ma koh hee pasand atey hain (how long will he remain a child? After a certain point, only a mother can tolerate her child)”. The opposition leader sums it up: Only Sonia Gandhi - who is trying to step back so that others in the Congress see Rahul Gandhi as her natural successor - believes in him, along with his small coterie.

Most in the Congress party seem to be dreading at the prospect of transfer of power.

Consider these two cases. The hacking of Gandhi's and the Congress party's Twitter account. Gandhi immediately pointed the finger at the BJP. But is now quiet as is his wont.

Second is the case of Uttar Pradesh, where poll strategist Prashant Kishor was hired by the Congress with much fanfare. But none of his suggestions were followed. He wanted either Gandhi or his sister Priyanka to head the campaign. It didn't happen. Instead, an ageing Shiela Dikshit was announced as the CM candidate. Then she fell by the way side as Congress leaders ganged up against Kishor with state party president Raj Babbar "calling him a sound recordist".

Kishor was attacked for trying to stitch up an alliance with the Samajwadi Party with the help of a much-loathed Amar Singh and it was suggested that he (Kishor) no longer enjoyed Gandhi's confidence.

Now that the alliance seems to be on track, Kishor is mysteriously back in Gandhi's good books.

All this has left the party and its cadre perplexed. Just what is going on? Says a leader, "He does those ‘khat sabhas’ which make no sense. We were told that it did not matter how many seats we get, at least we will establish the Congress as a player. This demonetisation is a golden opportunity. People are suffering everywhere. They are very angry with Modi and BJP but they do not see us as an option. That is Rahul Gandhi's fault."

It truly is an epic failure as Gandhi is unable to lead. Both India and the Congress party deserve better.

Also read - Rise of Hardik Patel as a cult figure outside of Gujarat