Trying to read Rahul Gandhi

He definitely is not an ordinary man, not like ‘majority’ of us the common wo/men! He is the grandson of India’s most powerful Prime Minister, the first women who is also known as the only ‘man’ in the Cabinet!! He is also the son of one of the most popular Prime Minister. Both killed. And there, he has two important people whose unnatural dead he has lived with and grew up with. Besides he has a mother, a reluctant politician, who was called an “outsider” but single handedly saved the “sinking ship” congress in 2003.

In my mind’s eye I can see the image of the hundreds of wrinkled face , looking up towards him ( and anyone of the Family members) in the midst of the dust that blows as the chopper touches down or as his Z cavalcades screeches a halt somewhere in rural India; people trying to touch and reach him/ her from the security barricades.

He lives, eats, hears, sees politics or rather is fed with electoral politics; Like it or Not.   And therefore he cannot do away with what he is made up of and his family lean-age or what we call dynasty.

To say Rahul Gandhi is inexperienced or to disqualify him merely by his oratory skills or interview style or body language would be wrong. For a person who grew up in / with politics, personally he definitely has a lot of “politics” in him; in his blood!! Don’t we all believe that we inherit our parent’s DNA or genes, including color?

Rahul is someone who is surrounded by security persons all through his life! It may not be wrong to say that his “media shy” and “seemingly” reluctance to be in Politics may have stem from being constantly “whisked away” from the dirt and dust of the streets and smell of the masses. 

The frequent mentioned of his experiences of pain from the two deaths in his life indeed indicates the influence of the two person on his life. The provocation is understandable. Fortunately and unfortunately this worked in his / the party’s favor but also became the ‘weak’ point for attack from opposition.

No doubt, Congress party survived decades and decades of electoral politics purely due this “family” dynasty.The Congress' rise and fall solely rely on the Gandhi factor. If Congress comes back to power, it will obviously be the Rahul factor, one may call it charisma or sympathy ( period) 

Rahul is the “sacrificial lamb” for the survival of the Party and he knew it. He also knew very well that he is being constantly grilled and haunted by the sins and omissions of his fore fathers. 

On one side, Rahul feels, like any member of the immediate “Gandhi- Nehru” line, he should save the sinking age old congress ship with all the heavy weights inside the party. And as a “Gandhi” that is his responsibility!!  All the more given the family ‘dynasty’ background it is natural for a person like Rahul to come out as a ‘savior’ and respond to the SOS call. 

The other side of Rahul is that, somewhere he wishes “to be left alone”. He surely is uncomfortable with the media or political analyst. His off guard comments and remarks or ignorance (which is also termed as incompetence, naïve ) somehow reveal this other side of Rahul.

His love of Bikes and weekend long drive somewhere in an undisclosed location is a heavily guarded ( open) secret!

In fact Rahul has no choice. He cannot change his family! He cannot do away with politics either now, because he is born in to and lived with it.

Rahul Gandhi, I feel, is trying hard to balance his own inner conflict ; Alter Ego ??   

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