Congress Needs To Justify Where Rahul’s Position In Presidency Lies

RAHUL GANDHI SPEAKS ON CONSTITUTION AND INSTITUTIONS ON BOOK LAUNCH "THE DALIT TRUTH".

Since the beginning of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi has been giving evasive responses to questions about whether or not he would run for president of the Congress when he makes appearances in the media.

These have ranged from providing political opponents who are pragmatic with lofty philosophical advise to outright denying that he has any “confusion” about his intentions. Nevertheless, state units are drafting resolutions anticipating that he may be pulled into the presidency. This adds to the confusion that is being caused by Rahul’s statements.

The only information that the general public has access to about Rahul’s choice not to run for office is a soundbite from another neta or information that is based on a source. This would be a terrible political move for Congress at this time. It is a signal to the leaders who are set to file nominations as of today that Rahul would cast a shadow over every significant decision that the next president takes.

Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for Rahul to make it very clear that he would not be running for president but will instead serve under the newly elected leader. The new president will only be able to leave his mark on the country if he is granted unrestricted power over all aspects of government.

In order to portray the Congress leadership transfer as as cosmetic, the opposition parties will exploit any information that implies Rahul is still exerting uncontrolled influence as ammunition. It is important to keep in mind that the Congress party’s electoral chances were hurt as a result of the unfavourable press surrounding Manmohan Singh’s tenure as prime minister.

Given that people have a tendency to prefer strong-willed leaders and that strong-willed leaders are the norm in Indian politics, a depiction of the incoming party president that fits this mould would be equally negative.