dailyO
Politics

BJP needs to be worried about Priyanka Gandhi joining active politics

Advertisement
Ashok Swain
Ashok SwainJan 30, 2017 | 15:05

BJP needs to be worried about Priyanka Gandhi joining active politics

Whether she will join active politics or not has kept India guessing for more than a decade, if not more.

Official confirmation by the Congress party of Priyanka Gandhi's key role in negotiating the pre-poll alliance with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh - as well as in persuading Navjot Singh Sidhu to join the Congress as a star campaigner before the Punjab election has put doubts to rest.

Advertisement

Priyanka has now politically moved beyond "Amethi and Rae Bareli".

When two siblings from a political family assume key roles in active politics, it is a task for party loyalists to choose one camp over the other as the contenders fiercely compete to inherit the political capital of their parents.

At the same time, the struggle for supremacy among siblings brings cheer to opposition parties as it offers them possibilities to avail political opportunities from the conflict.

Several of India's political families have witnessed such self-destructive turf wars.

DMK in Tamil Nadu and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra have suffered much due to fights for the political legacy of the party patriarch. The Yadav families in UP and Bihar have also witnessed such differences.

ra_ga_pti_013017023954.jpg
Priyanka and Rahul share an exceptionally strong bond - one family tragedies have only strengthened with time. Photo: PTI

In neighbouring Pakistan, the struggle for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's political legacy led to disastrous consequences.

Even in the UK, the Labor Party ruined its chances of coming back to power in 2015 due to the leadership struggle between Miliband brothers.

However, Priyanka Gandhi joining active politics when Rahul Gandhi has nearly been anointed the inheritor of Gandhi-Nehru family legacy does not bear symptoms of a soon-to-play-out "family feud".

Advertisement

Instead, the party cadre are enthused by the prospect of a partnership among the siblings at a time the BJP is nervous and its leaders are resorting to personal attacks about the rival Congress.

They see Priyanka Gandhi as a leader who stands by her elder brother in his political journey, and not as a jealous sibling attempting to create a competing power centre in the party.

Priyanka's message has always been that she wants to help and assist her brother in politics - and unlike the Thackerays and the Yadavs, she is not competing with Rahul to usurp a political legacy.

Whenever she discusses party affairs or electoral strategies with Congress workers, Priyanka makes it a point to meet them at her brother's official residence.

She even shares support staff with Rahul Gandhi, leaving no room for suspicions about an alternate power centre in the party.

While bitter rivalries among political families are prevalent, there are instances where siblings' support has become a source of strength for leaders. Robert F "Bobby" Kennedy's support for his elder brother JFK and Raul Castro's support for his elder brother Fidel are well-known.

BJP's nervousness over Priyanka Gandhi's role in active politics stems from the fear that the brother and sister combination can be a potent political force like the Kennedys and the Castros.

Advertisement

The BJP does not see the duo offering it a political opportunity by way of sibling rivalry, as the Thackerays and the Yadavs have done in Maharashtra and UP, respectively.

Priyanka and Rahul share an exceptionally strong bond - one family tragedies have only strengthened with time.

While addressing his first joint press conference with Akhilesh Yadav on January 29, Rahul Gandhi made a candid statement about his relationship with his sister: "Priyanka (Gandhi) has been of tremendous help to me and so have I."

Both of them not only need each other, but also complement each other well politically.

While Rahul is honest and sincere, Priyanka is known to be personable and charismatic. While the brother is inquisitive and academic, the sister connects with the masses and is an excellent public speaker.

The Congress vice president projects himself as the leader of the youth, while Priyanka represents the growing women's movement in the country.

Many Congress sympathisers see Indira Gandhi's reflection in Priyanka. Their shared leadership gives the BJP reasons to worry.

For nearly two decades, India has not being governed by a single leader. Gone are the days when Nehru or Indira or Rajiv were seen as mass leaders. The shared leadership trend began with the election of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani - and the tradition continued with Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs an Amit Shah to run a country with such intricate complexities and growing challenges. History is witness that such partnerships have helped - as will Priyanka Gandhi's decision to participate in active politics.

It will aid Rahul Gandhi in his political journey towards emerging as a successful alternative to Modi.

Last updated: January 30, 2017 | 15:53
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy