Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Attempt by Rahul Gandhi to build up his image' that was published in Newsband

Attempt by Rahul Gandhi to build up his image

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi made a tweet stating his pet dog Pidi was the author of his suddenly effervescent posts.
Gandhi’s social media messaging are aimed at creating a new public persona. Gandhi is trying to recast himself as a humorous, almost subversive, insurgent taking on the formidable powers-that-be. Referring to the GST as the “Gabbar Singh Tax”, His assertion of power over his party’s Prime Minister smacked of dynastic entitlement.

Skilful use of social media allows a politician to control the message, as well as directly reach audience unobstructed. Rahul Gandhi is not a politician, like his father. His comments on Demonetisation and GST are to entice public sentiments.

Rahul is on learning curve but these are not the required qualities for leading a party or the Nation. He has yet to develop his skill in understanding the politics and its strategy to counter opposition. Gandhi's trending tends to take a devious route. Poll campaign can be in a lighter vein or can be suffused with humor. But it should have a cutting edge tempered with penetrating and powerful repartees. It should ignite sparks of seriousness, blazing a missionary zeal to improve upon the prevailing political, social and economic chaos.

The Ganges flooded umpteen times since Justice V R Krishna Iyer counselled Gandhi to draw inspiration and learn lessons from the magnum opus of his great grandfather. But he has shown little inclination in this respect. Cavalier ape of American style of campaigning would do little good. Gandhi has to prove himself his mettle to enter into the higher orbital strata of Indian politics.

It is Just Law of Diminishing marginal utility playing against BJP. In most of the states BJP is in Power and in some point of time or the other. People will want a change. Even nowadays people get bored of Modi's speeches. Nothing has changed - its human nature.

The number of followers in social media is not any 'approval' just like the crowds for a political meeting being not an indicator either. The approval depends upon a continuous rating based on actions, plans and pronouncements of a leader. It also depends upon the assessment of people about a leader's capabilities. Rahul Gandhi comes across poorly on all these fronts. The overall opinion of him is that he is usually not well-informed, that he is not much interested in his job, that he is happy travelling the world, that he is being propped up by sycophants and that he is being forced to take over the 'family mantle' which is the 'Prime Ministership'.

‪As a student, as a social worker, as a political worker, as a political leader or as a MP: Rahul Gandhi doesn't have any credible positive qualities. He is criticizing Modi as if he was a legend in these spheres. The Rahul Gandhi campaign is devoid of concrete policies and delivery of services to the populace. Copying the Modi campaign of 2014 in criticizing the incumbents may not work every time.

Rahul's makeover is like the make-up of the street artistes, the paint will run off in the harsh pertomax heat exposing the real person behind the façade. Rahul's shortcomings are a lot - lack of intelligence, lack of cunningness, the Nehru lineage, the Italian connection, lack of communication skills, a bunch of bad advisers and above all basking under the sycophancy.

Rahul Gandhi has a lot in common with Justin Trudeau of Canada. Both born to Ex Prime Ministers and both considered light weights without much substance. Trudeau easily won Canada by being the 'decent Canadian' and urging the people to elect a Government that will return to old Canadian values.