The Indian Union Muslim league (IUMl), Congress party’s traditional ally and a constituent of the UPA, has said that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has not been able to win the hearts of the people of the country.
“(We) don’t think Rahul has been able to rise as a wave in Indian politics,” ET Muhammad Basheer MP, general secretary of the Muslim league, second largest constituent of the Congress-led ruling UDF of Kerala, told a Malayalam TV channel. Observers view Basheer’s statement as a clear warning to the Congress ahead of the lok Sabha polls.
“The affection a large section of people has towards the Nehru-Gandhi family has been a source of succor to the Congress in critical electoral situations. Sonia Gandhi has been able to draw that affection. But it is doubtful whether Rahul has reached that level. A Rahul impact has not yet happened in Indian politics,” he said.
“It is up to the Congress to think about it. This affection the people feel towards the Nehru-Gandhi family is perhaps the greatest asset of the Congress. Rahul has to create an impression as the representative of the new generation of the Nehru family. They will have to devise a strategy to enable Rahul Gandhi to be influential in politics in that sense,” Basheer said.
He also said that the Congress had not been able to wriggle out of the grip of corruption allegations. “It remains a fact that the black shadow of corruption charge has fallen on the Congress irrespective of whether the charges are true or false. However, that party has not been able to free itself from that,” he said.
Political analysts interpret Basheer’s statement as an indication of the Muslim league’s disenchantment with the failure of the Congress high command (read Gandhi family) in ending the problems in the Congress’s State unit despite repeated requests. The league had even given indirect threats of leaving the UDF because of the problems in Kerala’s Congress.
Basheer said that the problems within Kerala’s Congress party had to end ‘now’ and that there was no meaning in finding solutions to them at a later stage. Complaining that the Congress high command had not intervened effectively to solve those problems, he said the situation demanded the intervention of AK Antony.
Indicating that the Kerala Congress (M), the UDF’s third largest constituent, shared the sentiment expressed by Basheer, its vice-chairman and Kerala Government’s Chief Whip PC George said that Rahul Gandhi somehow had not been able to understand the changes taking place in the country’s politics.
“There have been many changes in the situation, life-style and problems in the lives of the people in the country and in its politics. It is obvious that Rahul Gandhi has not been able to understand these changes. But nothing can be done about that. The Nehru family alone can keep the Congress united,” the Kerala Congress (M) vice-chairman told the media.
Embarrassed by the tough position the Muslim league has adopted with regard to the claims on “Rahul effect”, State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said he did not think Basheer’s statement reflected the Muslim league’s thinking. “I don’t know about the circumstances under which he said that,” he said.