By Suresh Unnithan & Nanditha Subhadra
The Indian National Congress is in deep crisis, its leadership floundering against a boisterous, aggressive BJP that has mastered the art of political domination. Under Rahul Gandhi’s stewardship, the party has repeatedly failed to mount a coherent, sustained counteroffensive. Rahul’s frequent and poorly timed overseas trips—often during critical parliamentary sessions—have handed the BJP easy ammunition to brand him a “part-time politician” detached from India’s realities. His speeches, even after two decades in Parliament, are routinely dismissed as high on rhetoric but woefully short on substance or strategic bite. Worse, party workers and insiders openly lament his inaccessibility, surrounded as he is by a tight coterie that filters information and stifles dissent. Figures like K C Venugopal, often criticised as ineffective organisers who prioritise loyalty over competence, are accused of misguiding Rahul, leading to repeated tactical blunders that have left Congress defensively scrambling rather than aggressively challenging the ruling dispensation. This leadership vacuum has allowed the BJP to set the narrative, demonise opponents, and consolidate power almost unchallenged. For a party fighting for relevance, the current setup is not just inadequate—it is existential suicide.
Into this void has stepped Priyanka Gandhi, whose entry into active parliamentary politics has revealed a leader of rare caliber: sharp, mature, charismatic, and—crucially—independent. Unlike her brother, Priyanka operates without the shadow of a controlling coterie. She is known for her direct engagement with party workers, patiently listening to grassroots voices and building consensus rather than relying on insulated advisors. This independence allows her to think clearly, act decisively, and speak with unfiltered authority—qualities Congress has desperately lacked.
Elected from Wayanad in the November 2024 bypoll with a massive margin exceeding four lakh votes—surpassing Rahul’s previous records there—Priyanka entered the Lok Sabha as a debutant yet performed like a seasoned warrior. Her maiden speech in December 2024, during the debate on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution, was a masterclass in controlled aggression. Over 32 minutes, she dismantled the government’s record with precision: “Had these not been the results of Lok Sabha elections, they would have also started working on changing the Constitution.” On crony capitalism, she charged bluntly: “The country is watching 1.4 billion people being ignored to save one person… all wealth, ports, roads, mines being given to him.” She humanised the violence in Sambhal, recounting a poignant encounter: “The police shot their father dead. The 17-year-old Adnan told me that he would grow up to be a doctor and realise his father’s dream. This dream and hope was instilled in his heart by the Constitution of India.” And in a stinging rebuke to RSS influence: “Seems PM Modi hasn’t understood that it is ‘Bharat ka Samvidhan’ not ‘Sangh ka Vidhan’.” She also highlighted unrest in Manipur, violence against women, and demanded a nationwide caste census. The speech carried no novice hesitation—only maturity, structure, and moral force. Rahul himself admitted it surpassed his own 2004 debut.
This was not a fluke. In the 2025 Winter Session, with Rahul abroad and facing renewed BJP taunts over absenteeism, Priyanka effectively became the Opposition’s voice in the Lok Sabha. During the debate commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram, she questioned the government’s distractions with measured firmness: “Why are we debating on this? This is our national song… This government wants people to ignore present and future and just keep looking back at the past.” She accused the BJP of evasion: “When done with Nehru-bashing, debate unemployment.” And in a powerful ideological contrast: “You (BJP) are for the elections, we are for the country.”
Her sharpest assault targeted the proposed replacement of MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat Gram Guarantee Bill. Warning of constitutional betrayal, she declared: “The right to employment is being weakened, and this is against our Constitution.” Defending the scheme’s legacy: “MGNREGA has been successful in providing livelihood to rural India… This provides 100 days of employment to the poorest of the poor.” With biting sarcasm on the government’s renaming fixation: “Mahatma Gandhi is not from my family, but he is like my family member and the entire country feels the same way.” She exposed the threat of centralisation eroding gram panchayat powers and demanded outright: “This Bill must be withdrawn.”
These interventions showcase a leader who counters the BJP not with empty slogans but with vivid, evidence-backed attacks that expose hypocrisies and resonate widely. Where Rahul’s recent speech on electoral reforms was criticised as rhetorical fluff, Priyanka’s words land with precision, forcing the treasury benches to squirm.
Beyond Parliament, Priyanka’s strengths directly remedy Congress’s ailments. Her natural charisma—often compared to grandmother Indira Gandhi—creates an “instant connect” with voters and workers that Rahul has never consistently achieved. She is seen as approachable, a patient listener who forges internal unity without the filter of ineffective gatekeepers like those influencing Rahul. Her 2024 campaigning was pivotal: as the party’s most visible star, she engineered Rahul’s Raebareli win, along with the Amethi, defeating BJP’s star candidate and serving union minister Smriti Irani, and boosted Congress’s best Uttar Pradesh performance in decades.
Against a boisterous BJP that thrives on personal vilification—targeting Rahul’s “foreign tours,” alleged detachment, and dynastic baggage—Priyanka offers a clean strategic pivot. Unencumbered by a misguided coterie, she commands respect through independence, accessibility, and proven effectiveness.
Congress can no longer delay the inevitable. The party’s survival hinges on a leader who can energise cadres, reconnect with the masses, and dominate parliamentary battles without being the BJP’s easiest target. Priyanka Gandhi is the only effective leader in the current Congress capable of taking on the boisterous BJP head-on—with sharpness, maturity, and unrelenting force.
