Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Is Rahul Gandhi pretending?' that was published in Newsband

Is Rahul Gandhi pretending?

Rahul Gandhi says that he will not run for Prime Minister. Rahul has decided to keep away from prime ministerial race. Probably he prefers to play a detached role in politics like Mahatma Gandhi did. He has shown reluctance to wield power. It is clear that the Congress rank and file is disturbed. Since Independence, the Congressmen looked to the family to provide leadership. So they are only hoping that Rahul will change his mind and show willingness to become the PM.

The United Progressive Alliance has faced a crisis-ridden second term. There is just a year to go for the election and the Alliance is not coherent and united enough. Under such circumstance Rahul is the only man who can give a tough fight to Narendra Modi who might be allowed to participate in the prime ministerial race by BJP.

Rahul has become emotional ever since his mother Sonia Gandhi said that power is poison. This must have made him unsure about contesting for Prime ministership. The masses who adored the Congress and its first family are eagerly waiting to see them resolve this dilemma as soon as possible since otherwise they could find themselves left behind in the coming big battle. These masses justify dynastic politics where one inherits his/her parents' position of power without having to justify the position on merits.

One does not know if Rahul's professed reluctance to embrace power politics is just a strategy to project himself as the only politician in India who is not hungry for power or a desire to continue the present dynastic system of the first family nominating the Prime Minister. Even his father Rajiv Gandhi had performed the same kind of drama before becoming the Prime Minister.

Like Rajiv Gandhi who was reluctantly cordoned into politics by his mother, Rahul wants to give the impression of being a reluctant player for the interests of the nation. He wants to project an image of one who has renounced his all for the party and the nation. He has read the Indian psyche well. What he doesn't know is that Indians can see through his facade.