Rahul Gandhi : Revolutionary or Rambler

Over the past few weeks the Gandhi family sycophants have gone out of their way to cheer Rahul Gandhi's new avatar. The pro-congress elements in the press to have spared no efforts to extol the transformation of their prince. In the eleven years of his political career the Gandhi scion has been painted by his fans not just as a sort revolutionary but as the messiah of the poverty stricken masses. Rahul Gandhi has however chosen to don the mantle of a reluctant prince. At the begining of his political career Rahul Gandhi seemed to be the man who could do no wrong. His popularity seemed to span all age groups and he was hailed as a youth icon. However ten years later this image carefully crafted by the first family's loyalists came crashing down when the Grand Old Party faced its worst defeat in years. With just forty four seats in the Lok Sabha its status as chief opposition party seemed uncertain and its future seemed uncertain. Rahul Gandhi however seemed nonplussed and was seen grinning and waving to journalists at a press conference soon after, in what was seen as yet another sign of his lack of seriousness. He had committed a series of faux pas during his campaign including a disastrous interview with Arnab Goswami. He had a lacklustre record as a parliamentarian. He had few achievements as a party leader too except for a few small victories in UP during the 2009 elections. Rumbles of dissent began to shake the party and one hoped that this election would see the end of the old congress order and its revival as an ideology based party free of the dynasty.However this was not to be. In February this year Rahul Gandhi was on vacation again, apparently to reflect on the party's failings even while parliament was in session. Upon his return from his sabbatical he put forth some criticism of the government dubbing it  'suit boot ki sarkar'. He was hailed by his supporters for transforming himself. The media lavished praise on his new found enthusiasm and labelled his new avatar Rahul 2.0 . Has Rahul Gandhi truly changed? Rahul Gandhi was always known for his amateurish approach to politics. He would make few speeches, visit the houses the poor and then disappear from public gaze not to be seen again for months to come. He has never exhibit a positive agenda for development. His speeches were always criticized for jugglery of the same phrases and some peculiar analogies. Rahul Gandhi has shown no signs of becoming a visionary. He continues to recycle a set collection of phrases in his speech. Now after a few weeks of vociferous name calling and political posturing, he has once again fled the scene. His whereabouts remain unknown. Rahul Gandhi seems to be reluctant to take up responsibilities. Neither does he have many achievements to his credit as an MP nor has he been professionally successful elsewhere. Is he worthy of consideration as Future Prime Ministerial candidate. I for one have little faith in his ability to lead this nation of a billion people.

Acche din a possibility or a mirage?

The 16th of May last year was the day the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious in the general elections. It seemed that the nation had finally spoken and better days seemed to be in store for the world's largest democracy. The party won a historical mandate with its promise of a better more prosperous India. A year later little of that initial enthusiasm remains. The government seems to be mired in needless controversies, some its own doing and some manufactured by its detractors. The lack of coherent arguments on the part of its spokespersons to defend its ministers embroiled in the 'Lalitgate' scandal has left the new government's image in tatters. Prime minister Narendra Modi has maintained a stoic silence on the whole issue. To millions of Indians he remains the sole hope for a better India greatly disillusioned with the nation following years of mismanagement by a corrupt polity . Most people trust his personal integrity and dedication to the post that he occupies. One  hopes that he will quickly put an end to these controversies by speaking up and reassure the Indian people that his promise of acche din is not merely a mirage.