Sunday seems to be the slowest day for me of all the days in the week. That’s because that’s my weekly off day from office, and since I am back to Gorakhpur, after 14 long years, my social circle is still limited. So I do best is go through every inch of the newspaper, as if I am about to sit for an examination.
Well today’s Sunday editorials were of course on women power especially their success in political arena in the country. There were also articles on Bhatta-Parsaul based agitation in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and how political parties are vying to milk it to their advantage, especially with Assembly election slated next year. Special mention was given to how Mr. Rahul Gandhi has stormed the scene, escaped his own security condone to meet farmers, then how we announced war on UP government and also met PM to brief on plight of farmers.
UP as always remains a very important state for national politics, the political class in UP have developed well, however the state is still underdeveloped. Sadly for the state politics, state of affairs didn’t improve even after handing out a decisive (read simple majority) win to Ms. Mayawati in last assembly election.
Now voters in UP also want development / infrastructure growth and change, the recent assembly election results in four states has only brought more resolve to this issue. The fact that Bihar is back in progressive path also fuels such desire among UP population.
The biggest hurdle for people of UP is to decide who to vote for? Where should they thrust their vote? Which leader is worth, and who will lead UP to become a progressive state?
The answer for this has not been simple. Ms. Mayawati and Mr. Mulayam have proved time again that they are two sides of the same coin. How much ever they hate each other, there functioning is pretty similar, corrupt and lacks vision, only difference being the law and order situation seems to be tad better during lady’s regime. The other major party of one time namely BJP has self destructed itself in the state; it is struggling to get a foothold in the state, but has no able leader to do so. There are several other small parties who are also present, but they are not vying for power but to be a kingpin by garnering some respectable number of seats and use it as bargaining power in case of hung election result.
What has it done is that, it has presented an opportunity in the hands of congress, it’s not easy, but it certainly an opportunity. Congress is one party which traditionally has never named its chief ministerial candidate beforehand. It is a party which depends extremely on central high command, Mr. Rahul has in past has been active in UP politics. He toiled in last assembly election and got moderate rewards, it’s another matter that he couldn’t repeat that success in vidhan sabha election.
Now how does Mr. Rahul makes best of the opportunity presented to him is anybody guess. My sincere suggestion is that he should pack his bag and move to UP log, stock and barrel. He could just push himself into UP politics, becomes a face of congress in UP and manage the show here. Interact more with media, use it to his advantage, attend public meetings and do road shows. He is young has intellect, and most importantly has one of the most envies’ surnames in Indian politics – Gandhi. With all this he could pull off the biggest comebacks for congress in UP.
What more it does is that it capitulates him to bigger league, having won UP, he could stake claim to bigger stage on his own namely the PM post. He will certainly be seen as now worth every bit of salt to sit at 10, Janpath.
All this and more comes with certain risk, if he loses this battle he would be almost pushed to back stage of Indian politics.
But then haven’t we heard – “More the Risk, More the return”