Party ‘against’ graft, but seeks tie-up with lalu
In a desperate bid to break free from the image of a corruption-ridden party in whose rule at the Centre the country's biggest scams have happened, the Congress is seeking to position itself as the harbinger of anti-graft measures. Party vice president Rahul Gandhi is supposedly keen to get pending Bills on the issue, such as the Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of Their Grievances Bill and the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, passed before the lok Sabha election and tout the success, coupled with the earlier passage of the lokpal and lokayuktas Bill, 2011, as his firm commitment to tackle corruption in public place. The Congress core group which met on Friday has reportedly discussed the floor strategy to get these Bills adopted when Parliament meets sometime next month to pass the vote on account. Needless to add, these efforts are directed towards creating for Mr Gandhi the image of an anti-corruption crusader ahead of the election. There is a good deal of gap between what the party and Mr Gandhi profess and what they do. For instance, the Congress vice president and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief lalu Prasad met recently to discuss a tie-up between their respective parties for the lok Sabha election. There's nothing wrong in that except that lalu has been convicted and sentenced by the court on charges of corruption. Mr Gandhi has no problem in aligning with a leader convicted of graft even as he talks of combating corruption! This is not the most convincing way to send across the message that a leader, who could be formally projected as the party's prime ministerial candidate, is serious about fighting corruption. Clearly, for Mr Gandhi, the battle against corruption is done once Parliament passes anti-corruption legislations. In being hypocritical, he is confining himself to potential and narrow electoral gains. He realises that, with the surge in public support for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar, especially after the Janata Dal (United) broke away from it and Mr Narendra Modi was declared the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, the Congress has been pushed to the margins in that State. Its only hope lies in aligning with a regional party which has for years now supported it inside and outside Parliament.
The strategy is unlikely to sway the voters who were for a moment taken by surprise when Mr Gandhi began speaking loud and clear against corruption in high places and his image managers simultaneously worked overtime to spread the impression that he has been behind the push for the lokpal and other similar Bills. Gone are the days when sweet smiles and family ties alone could win over a gullible electorate. The people want to see their leaders walk the talk. That is why far more people favour Mr Modi over Mr Gandhi. The former has demonstrated good governance and firm leadership in Gujarat while the latter has failed to effectively manage election campaigns and energise his own party cadre — let alone offer a credible vision for the country. Worse, Mr Gandhi has been reluctant to lead. As for the electoral benefits that the Congress thinks it can get by tying up with a convicted leader like lalu Prasad, we have to see if that will happen. The Bihar of 2014 is not the Bihar of the 1990s when the lalu magic reigned.