I’ll be upfront about this and I am reasonably sure you’ll agree with me. Deep down, most of us nurture disdain towards those who come to occupy positions of power by virtue of birth. Quite honestly, that has, at least until I started researching this story on Rahul Gandhi, been my stated position. And because there is no other polite way to say it, I’ll say it as it is: Respect for those in power who inherit it, usually comes from the unwashed, illiterate masses that can be manipulated. This, to my mind, is a truth leaders have always acknowledged throughout history. That explains why, as his power grew, Alexander the Great perpetuated the myth that he was sired by the god Jupiter Ammon and not Philip II of Macedon, who incidentally, used prudence as a tool to rule and outgrow the shadow of his father Philip I of Macedon, a paradigm of boundless energy.
Be that as it may, while all of this was happening, Rahul Gandhi was away in the US, attending to his ailing mother, the chairperson of the Congress Party. On his return, he was faced with an explosive situation. The ruling Congress Party, which his mother heads and is fronted by the trusted Manmohan Singh, was in a state of disarray. The Anna Hazare-mounted assault had to be defused through backroom negotiations.
• Consider for a moment, the current mood in the country. Things most certainly don’t look pretty. If things continue to go down this path, there is a chance that a few months down the line, a united Opposition could move a resolution in Parliament for a No Confidence Motion. There are some indicators already that suggest the Opposition is sniffing that potential. These are early days yet, but there is nothing to suggest the possibility can be dismissed entirely either. Factor into the situation that a section of the UPA government led by the Congress is already upset and party watchers believe they may just end up voting against the current government. What makes it easier for them is the fact that the BJP, the main Opposition party, has not put up a prime ministerial candidate. There seems to be a loose consensus that Nitish Kumar could be propped up as a consensus candidate by the Opposition. At least on the face of it, there is no ideological resistance to him as an individual. The only issue there is the North-South divide. But if a majority of parliamentarians from North India rally around him, whether those from the South will also come around is an academic discussion.
Rasheed Kidwai, who has just written a brief history of Congress titled 24 Akbar Road, recounts that in Chhattisgarh, Amit Jogi, son of the former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, managed to get the maximum number of fresh youth enrolled in Chhattisgarh Youth Congress. As a result, he became the obvious choice for the Youth Congress president’s post until Rahul’s intervention ruled him out, as he was facing criminal charges. Similar issues cropped up with Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti in Tamil Nadu. Even in other states like Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, the eventual winners are directly or indirectly supported by the dominant family in the state Congress.
(This story appears in the 09 September, 2011 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
There is no major assignment to Rahul Gandhi yet, Let us give him a chance. Let him prove he is a good leader, unless otherwise why blame game ?
on Oct 3, 2011Nice reading about Rahul seems a sensible lad...pragmatic..a potential political meteor...if he does not let others rule his thoughts ...though Sonia does listen to Gurinder singh Dhillon, RSSB master....
on Oct 2, 2011the story is about writer's enlightenment about rahul gandhi. the writer appears to be rip-van-winkle who has got up from deep slumber after 5 years & noticed that Rahul Gandhi is working to strengthen his party & inner party democracy? Disappointed to see Forbes India lowering their editorial standards. its shocking that such shallow, pointless & politically biased article, which does not even deserve to be printed, is made the cover story! nothing new to add except confusion, nothing new to say except singing paean for Rahul Gandhi. just lost some respect for an otherwise great magazine.
on Sep 18, 2011I stopped reading it after i read the Headline. Rahul Gandhi is not having any potential and sense to be a leader. He is just a dummy and mixed reflection of all the people behind him and his mother investing money in him for great return. If he has been a real youth , he would have talked some sense as of now.
on Sep 16, 2011This article adds absolutely nothing new. And worse, it does seem the writer wrote this to further his own cause, or whatever vested interest he has in mind, rather than presenting a balanced viewpoint. Not only does it not work, it actually makes me pretty sad to see that a magazine which is known for quality journalism should publish something as biased as this. Rahul Gandhi sure has an ally in the writer.
on Sep 9, 2011I cannot understand the whole story about. Wherther it is for Rahul Gandhi and family or congress party. Rahul has done nothing for the country and Jan lokpal bill. The previouse comments of Aatish, Vikash, and Piyush mention are agreed too.
on Sep 9, 2011I am not sure what the point of this article is. Its completely and utterly useless. In fact, I stopped reading it mid way since its not got any substance. Rahul Gandhi has done nothing for or against the Jan Lok Pal, or any other major political issues in India since he got into politics. I am not even sure why would anyone consider Priyanka Gandhi to get mentioned in anything that is political in nature since she is not part of any political matter. Really, I dont get this.
on Sep 7, 2011This looks like sycophancy. Actually that is the only common thing between RG and his followers in congress and this author. I guess Forbes should stick to its strengths and leave out politics to the MJ Akbars and Prabhu Chawlas. Disappointing article.
on Sep 7, 2011This article is the biggest joke I have heard in a long time. The author seems to have woken up from hibernation..Forbes should Validate the authenticity before publishing artciles...The author is publishing his view not the view of the millions of people and both the views are in opposition. 1) Rahul Gandhi has done nothing for the Jan Lok pal bill..2) People are enraged that the the people who currently represent the govt of India misused their power to crush a peaceful protest by baba Ramdev..if you publish biased artciles most people would lose their trust in you.
on Sep 6, 2011The writer himself has fallen for the media hype his colleagues have manufactured around Rahul. The biggest deficiency in his skill set is the complete lack of administrative and legislative experience, prerequisites to any ministerial post. If he did genuinely want to "deserve" it , he would have put in efforts in that direction, instead of the "Superman" persona, he seeks to portray. He is right where he wants to be, behind an iron curtain where he has power but no responsibility and his coterie can manipulate the narrative of events to glorify his interventions while suppressing his failures. If he was smart, he will stay hidden behind that curtain for the rest of his political innings.
on Sep 6, 2011Dumbest article I have ever read on this topic. Rahul Gandhi & his cronies took the hard line and screwed up. His speech was in Lok Sabha was testimony to that. Then Pranab stepped in & resolved the crisis. Wud love to know what are the motives behind this article.
on Sep 5, 2011I have question to Mr, Rahul Gandhi, why he was silent about corruption, while Kalmadhi and A Raja had been looting the country's wealth. Now, also congress is shielding the Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, who is also involve in corruption. Why our politicians took 42 year to pass a anti corruption bill. Our system need reform. It is the duty of our lawmaker to bring reform because they have been chosen by people to do so but they are sleeping. Ann Hazare got support allover India because our politicians do not have the vision, they are enjoying only the power. We are talking about corruption not about your dynasty.
on Sep 5, 2011Pretty lousy article.. Leadership doesn't come from dynasty nor is it in the blood.. It comes from experience, deeds and actions.. not articles like this.
on Sep 5, 2011Well researched and well balanced
on Sep 5, 2011Misraji, Wikicables leaks sums up Rahul Gandhi better than you in a few lines, it seems.
on Sep 5, 2011Except for the first para (disclaimer), you fawn over Rahul Gandhi like one of his followers. So, I am assuming the first few lines were meant to make the unfaithful pay a little attention to the rest of the article. I read about a page in. Then I just browsed. It doesnt work my friend. Good try though.
on Sep 5, 2011Dear writer..are you still of the opinion that these so called Gandhi's should lead the country? and why shuld they? actually it's a time for Rahul Gandhi and all these Gandhi's to stay completely away frm the politics forever..as in presence of them no one can take any decision..and the Government is loosing the political grounds...and if you are not sure about RSS support then why are you still writting it at the end..?
on Sep 5, 2011