Not only Tharoor, Salman Khurshid and Chidambaram are also understanding Jaishankar’s point, when will Rahul Gandhi understand?

Salman Khurshid, Rahul Gandhi and P Chidambaram -Photo-ANI

By demanding caste census and increase in reservation, he has not only disturbed the sleep of BJP but also his allies. Therefore, it is an exaggeration to say that Rahul does not understand politics. By calling Jaishankar an informer, he is also doing a kind of politics.

Rahul Gandhi is the biggest leader of Congress, along with this he also has a great responsibility as the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha. That is why not only India-Pakistan but the whole world listens to his every word carefully. But perhaps Rahul Gandhi still does not have the seriousness to know which questions to ask the foreign minister of the country during the war and which questions not to ask.

During the discussion of Operation Sindoor, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had said one day, at the beginning of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan that we are attacking the infrastructure of terrorists. We are not attacking the army. Therefore, the army has the option of not interfering in this work and staying away. Rahul Gandhi probably did not understand the point of the Foreign Minister. He started asking questions one after the other. How unnecessary his questions were can be understood from the fact that even his party Congress leaders, former Union Minister Salman Khurshid and former Home Minister P Chidambaram did not consider it appropriate to endorse his statement.

Technically, this is a matter of great embarrassment for Rahul Gandhi. Because even in the party where he holds sway, people do not agree with his statement. It is understandable that Congress leader Shashi Tharoor may not agree with Rahul Gandhi, but if people like Salman Khurshid and P Chidambaram are also distancing themselves from Rahul’s statement, then it is a matter of concern for the entire Congress.

1- Rahul should learn from Khurshid and Chidambaram
The Congress party has been grappling with internal differences and leadership questions for a long time. Rahul Gandhi, who was the national president of the Congress from 2017 to 2019 and is currently the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, is one of the most prominent faces of the party. However, questions have been raised on his leadership style and decision-making process. After the Congress’s defeat in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi’s strategy and his ability have been questioned both within and outside the party.

Even if senior leaders like Tharoor, Khurshid and Chidambaram distance themselves from Rahul’s statements, it won’t make any difference to them. Because the Gandhi family considers Congress to be a private limited company. Congress leaders and workers also consider the Gandhi family as their leader. No matter how many wrong decisions Rahul Gandhi takes, it is impossible that there will be a rebellion against him in the party. But the question that arises is whether the Gandhi family is no longer so influential that people like Khurshid and Chidambaram are hesitant to agree with Rahul?

Tharoor, who is known for his intellectual image and experience in global diplomacy, often adopts a more balanced and diplomatic approach. It is possible that Tharoor found Rahul’s stance in criticizing a seasoned diplomat like Jaishankar unnecessarily aggressive or factually weak. Anyway, these days his closeness to the BJP is well known. Therefore, it is no longer necessary for him to agree with Rahul. But if Khurshid and Chidambaram, both of whom have a deep understanding of law and policy making, also consider this statement strategically risky, then Rahul Gandhi should learn something from them.

2- Question on Rahul Gandhi’s political style

To understand Rahul Gandhi’s political style, it is important to look at his journey. Since becoming an MP from Amethi in 2004, Rahul has tried to establish himself as a leader who raises voice for public issues, especially farmers, youth, and marginalised communities. With his Bharat Jodo Yatra (2022-2023) and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (2024), he created an image of a aggressive leader among the public. These yatras also gave rebirth to the Congress to some extent. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the party has improved its performance. But the question is also that every time there has been some statement of Rahul Gandhi behind the misfortune of the Congress in the elections.

3- Rahul’s statements prove costly

After Operation Sindoor, Rahul Gandhi became isolated in his own party by accusing Jaishankar of spying. He has been putting the party in trouble even before this. Remember the statement of 2019. Rahul said in the Karnataka rally, why are all thieves named Modi only ? This was an attack on PM Modi and the Modi community of Gujarat. BJP MLA Purnesh Modi filed a defamation case, due to which Rahul got a two-year sentence and disqualification from the Lok Sabha in 2023.

The Supreme Court later stayed the sentence. The statement ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ in 2019 also caused a lot of damage to the Congress. On the Rafale deal, Rahul had called PM Modi a ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’. The Supreme Court held it wrong, and Rahul had to apologize.

Last year, Rahul created a ruckus by making a statement to end reservation. In America, Rahul said that when India achieves a certain development, then there will be a consideration to end reservation. BJP termed it anti-reservation. However, Rahul’s rhetoric has often been surrounded by controversies. But he takes an aggressive stance on government policies, especially foreign policy, economic policy, and social issues.

The problem is that his stance is often seen as immature or not based on facts. Like Rahul Gandhi talks about caste census and the more the participation, the more the share. His statement smells of equal distribution of wealth.

4- Does Rahul Gandhi not understand politics?

Opposition party BJP propagates such statements of Rahul Gandhi as if he does not understand politics. However, Rahul Gandhi has shown effective strategy on some occasions. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress won 99 seats, which was a significant improvement from 52 seats in 2019. His Bharat Jodo Yatra infused new energy in party workers and helped strengthen the opposition alliance INDIA. Rahul’s Save Constitution slogan has been giving BJP sleepless nights since 2024.

By demanding caste census and increase in reservation, he has not only disturbed the sleep of BJP but also his allies. Therefore, it is an exaggeration to say that Rahul does not understand politics. By calling Jaishankar an informer, he is also doing a kind of politics. There is a very large section in the country which is opposing the war.
Rahul’s strategy is to get their support by any means