Rahul Gandhi is again trying to carve out a place for the Congress in the Opposition space

Fresh from his party’s resounding victory in the recent Kerala byelection on the Thrikkakkara seat, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seems to have acquired a fresh lease of political bravado and unleashed a multi-layered hydra attack of sorts on his political opponents. To its credit, the landslide victory scripted by the United Democratic Front partner in Kerala has served as a morale booster to the Congress State-level cadre and even as an eye-opener to the party’s high command in New Delhi. The way the bypoll, which was necessitated by the demise of PT Thomas who had been representing the constituency since 2011, was sought to be contested hasn’t been seen in the recent past. To begin with, the change in the party’s style of functioning was seen within days of the Election Commission announcing the bypoll schedule, when the Congress announced the candidature of Uma Thomas, the spouse of late Thomas. Of course, the ruling CPI(M) machinery’s over-eagerness and the launch of its high-pitched campaign to wrest the seat saw the entire comrade fraternity turning to ‘mission mode’ as each household in the constituency was visited by the Leftists at least 15 times to canvass support.

The moral of the story is that the Congress alone can offer a viable alternative to the BJP, provided the former realises its own power. However, it doesn’t mean that he has let the AAP, which replaced the Congress Government in Punjab, off the hook just yet. On a visit to the residence of slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was shot by identified assailants on May 29, the Gandhi scion was quick to take potshots at the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP Government, saying maintaining peace in the critical border State was beyond the party leaders’ capability. Targeting the BJP Government at the Centre, Rahul also alleged that its “shameful bigotry” has not isolated India globally but also damaged its image international platform. The remarks came in the wake of international outrage following the controversial remarks made by two BJP functionaries against Prophet Mohammad. The two leaders — Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal — were, however, expelled from the BJP. Let’s say that in the interest of a strong and vibrant democracy in the country, it’s imperative for the oldest party to have a strong voice, which the Congress seems to have found of late. Way to go!