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Rousing battle-cry?

Shrill rhetoric has political value only if it can either be translated into votes, or so enthuse party workers that…

Rousing battle-cry?

Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses during the 84th plenary session of Indian National Congress at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)

Shrill rhetoric has political value only if it can either be translated into votes, or so enthuse party workers that they undertake the translation essay with enhanced vigour.

Thus while Rahul Gandhi’s presidential address at the Congress’ plenary session may have attracted much media attention and in-house acclaim, the real test will come when key state legislatures go to the polls later this year to raise the curtain for 2019.

Perhaps a more realistic assessment of Rahul’s speech, and the resolutions adopted at the session, is the BJP fielding its heavy weapons ~ Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani and Ravi Shankar Prasad ~ to try and deny Rahul some precious media “space”.

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For even his critics would concede that this time around, some might say for the first time, he exhibited a capacity to “carry the fight” to the BJP corner.

No doubt he had been gifted a “missile lock” by the verdicts in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the TDP pull-out suggesting deepening fissures in the NDA over sustained BJP arrogance, and even Ram Vilas Paswan cautioning against an overly “saffron” agenda.

Further proof that the BJP is “hurting” comes from the lavish advertisements in the newspapers that seek to blow away the clouds over Yogi Adityanath’s missteps.

Rahul has tried to pay the BJP back in the “same coin”. As he did in Gujarat he did not back off from playing to the religious gallery, attacked Modi square-on, and generally pulled no punches.

Obviously a “professional” speech-writer had been at work for he admitted to shortcomings within, promised internal democracy and so on…. a lot of promises… not so easy to keep.

While the presidential address may have attracted the eyeballs, the party’s battle-lines will have to centre around the various resolutions adopted: they must be the basis upon which the Congress tries to get an act together, of late it has fallen short on that front.

The rivalries, bickering within the state units is another issue which the party has to tackle and Rahul would be committing a blunder if the believes that the “family name” suffices for him to call the shots ~ he is unlikely to ever be as ruthless as the Modi-Shah duo and needs to build upon the more “accommodating” image of the Congress.

The BJP has distanced itself from several sections, while seeking to woo them Rahul will also have to guard against an anti-Hindu image ~ which Nirmala Sitharaman tried to create when she launched her “retaliatory” fire.

Having “joined battle”, Rahul and the Congress now have to campaign solidly to dispel an impression that what happened over the weekend in New Delhi was a mere media-event. Only the days ahead will determine if the “session” will prove a rallying point ~ or the proverbial last kick of a dying horse.

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