Putting the cart before the horse makes neither for good politics nor smart optics

In breaking down the Congress’ approach towards taking on the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2019 General Election into two distinct phases, party president Rahul Gandhi has it spot on. The first phase, would have to be for all Opposition forces to get together to defeat the BJP, which is what he said was the current effort as all non-BJP parties have begun talking to each other. And the second would be for these political parties, if they do manage to score an upset electoral victory, to sit together and work out the leadership issue. It was in this context, and contingent upon the first two phases, that Rahul Gandhi said he would certainly be interested in becoming Prime Minister provided the other anti-BJP parties and Congress allies wanted him in that position. While it is understandable that in a search for headlines all the focus was on Gandhi’s conclusion, it must in all fairness be iterated that his emphasis in the comments he made at a leadership summit in the Capital was on the two phases which would first need to be successfully negotiated if he was to have a shot at the top job.

Apart from showing political maturity in enunciating clearly that he recognised constructing a mahagathbandhan or grand Opposition alliance was not going to be a walk in the park as Mayawati’s rejection of an alliance with the Congress in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan must have driven home, he was also realistic about the Congress’ prospects. It is clear that Rahul Gandhi now knows that even his party’s most ardent supporters do not expect the UPA to get anywhere near the 200-odd number of seats in the Lok Sabha which it had in 2009 when the Congress last formed the Government at the Centre. On its own, the Congress is expected to get 75 per cent of the total UPA tally which is certainly likely to go up from 2014. Which is why discussions first with Congress allies within the UPA, and once there is consensus within the grouping on leadership which should not be too difficult, sitting down with Opposition leaders including the regional satraps who are expected together to run the UPA close in terms of total number of seats won, is vital for Rahul before any serious Prime Ministerial ambitions are harboured. That is what he too seems to have understood and underlined.