SOME SAY SHE is the most charismatic Gandhi today in India’s political arena. But Priyanka Gandhi remains an enigma for most people. She has helped her mother, Sonia Gandhi, with her election campaign but has never publicly expressed any desire to carve out a political career for herself. “I am here only to help my mother win a seat in the Indian Parliament,” she said. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. Behind this simple person is a human being who has faced many difficult situations in life.
She lost her grandmother, Indira Gandhi, when she was barely 12; her father, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was killed when she was not even 20; and her mother, the president of the ruling Congress Party, declined the prime minister’s job a couple of years back, sending a nation of one billion, as well as all the news gatherers across the world, into a tizzy. Her brother Rahul Gandhi is actively into politics but she still prefers to remain in the background. But the buzz about her political future refuses to die down.
The Congress party once projected Priyanka Gandhi as its main hope for the future. She is charismatic and youthful and can connect to the youth of India. Political analysts have predicted that she has a bright future. Dr. Suvrokamal, renowned political expert, says ‘If it is difficult for mere mortals to understand why Priyanka would want to follow in her father’s bloody wake, one need only attend a political rally to understand why the Congress party is excited to have her on board’
Plenty of Indians see in Priyanka (or want to see) glimpses of her formidable grandmother Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India from 1967 to 1977, and from 1980 to 1984. It is said that Priyanka even walks like her grandmother and is equally assertive. It is worth mentioning that a quarter of Indian voters are under 25 and a young member of the Gandhi dynasty can help in motivating people to vote for the Congress party.
Priyanka, however, does not really believe in the concept of dynasty. ‘I don’t believe in this dynasty thing. I believe I have been brought up in a particular way. I have watched people work for the country, work for others, and to that extent I have imbibed certain things from them’ pointed out Priyanka Gandhi when asked about the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
In a nation where people do not put much faith in the promises made by politicians, Priyanka Gandhi has clearly restored an element of charisma to electioneering. It is being described as the ‘Priyanka factor’ and the Congress party believes that this has made a significant difference in the final stages of the campaign at Rae Bareli.
But what is not yet known is, whether this experience will tempt her into a bigger political role of her own. “I am very clear in my mind. Politics is not a strong pull, the people are. And I can do things for them without being in politics” she says.
India is not convinced, and the pressures that eventually propelled Sonia Gandhi to the Congress leadership are likely to be felt by Priyanka too. The fact is that everyone in India knows her face. She is not a full-fledged politician, but a potent political figure feared by the opposition. This clearly shows that she has an important role to play in the future politics of the Congress party. Just like the members of the Kennedy clan in the United States, she doesn’t need polls, recognition surveys, orchestrated media exposure, or speechwriters. She is a Gandhi.
Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi believe that what is going on in the country today, for example the division of India along caste lines and religious lines, is absolutely wrong and they are both willing to raise their voice against it. Priyanka also has an opinion on Indo-Pak relationship. She believes that war will not solve our problems and adds ‘We have to create love and affection. We hope that people-to-people contact will lead to that’.
She lost her grandmother, Indira Gandhi, when she was barely 12; her father, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was killed when she was not even 20; and her mother, the president of the ruling Congress Party, declined the prime minister’s job a couple of years back, sending a nation of one billion, as well as all the news gatherers across the world, into a tizzy. Her brother Rahul Gandhi is actively into politics but she still prefers to remain in the background. But the buzz about her political future refuses to die down.
The Congress party once projected Priyanka Gandhi as its main hope for the future. She is charismatic and youthful and can connect to the youth of India. Political analysts have predicted that she has a bright future. Dr. Suvrokamal, renowned political expert, says ‘If it is difficult for mere mortals to understand why Priyanka would want to follow in her father’s bloody wake, one need only attend a political rally to understand why the Congress party is excited to have her on board’
Plenty of Indians see in Priyanka (or want to see) glimpses of her formidable grandmother Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India from 1967 to 1977, and from 1980 to 1984. It is said that Priyanka even walks like her grandmother and is equally assertive. It is worth mentioning that a quarter of Indian voters are under 25 and a young member of the Gandhi dynasty can help in motivating people to vote for the Congress party.
Priyanka, however, does not really believe in the concept of dynasty. ‘I don’t believe in this dynasty thing. I believe I have been brought up in a particular way. I have watched people work for the country, work for others, and to that extent I have imbibed certain things from them’ pointed out Priyanka Gandhi when asked about the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
In a nation where people do not put much faith in the promises made by politicians, Priyanka Gandhi has clearly restored an element of charisma to electioneering. It is being described as the ‘Priyanka factor’ and the Congress party believes that this has made a significant difference in the final stages of the campaign at Rae Bareli.
But what is not yet known is, whether this experience will tempt her into a bigger political role of her own. “I am very clear in my mind. Politics is not a strong pull, the people are. And I can do things for them without being in politics” she says.
India is not convinced, and the pressures that eventually propelled Sonia Gandhi to the Congress leadership are likely to be felt by Priyanka too. The fact is that everyone in India knows her face. She is not a full-fledged politician, but a potent political figure feared by the opposition. This clearly shows that she has an important role to play in the future politics of the Congress party. Just like the members of the Kennedy clan in the United States, she doesn’t need polls, recognition surveys, orchestrated media exposure, or speechwriters. She is a Gandhi.
Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi believe that what is going on in the country today, for example the division of India along caste lines and religious lines, is absolutely wrong and they are both willing to raise their voice against it. Priyanka also has an opinion on Indo-Pak relationship. She believes that war will not solve our problems and adds ‘We have to create love and affection. We hope that people-to-people contact will lead to that’.
Theoretically speaking, the emergence of both Rahul and Priyanka is bound to help the Congress in blunting the issue of their mother’s foreign origins, which has been ruthlessly and successfully exploited by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The best part about Priyanka Gandhi is that she is not hungry for power. “My mother is doing her job to the best of her capacity. It (power) is not a priority for any of us,” said Priyanka, who is often touted by the media as a potential Indian prime minister due to her political charisma.
Priyanka once again showed the different side of her personality to the world in the Rae Bareli election. She campaigned for her mother and was confident that she will win. She told the media ‘I will say what everybody in this constituency knows. Whoever may come, Soniaji will win’. She further added ‘There is no force, which can defeat Sonia Gandhi. I invite you (the media) to name a person who can defeat her’. She was also impressed by her brother’s hard work. She said ‘He has done a good job in organizing party workers by travelling through the constituency for so many days. Rahul has worked very hard...the credit goes to him’.
Priyanka once again showed the different side of her personality to the world in the Rae Bareli election. She campaigned for her mother and was confident that she will win. She told the media ‘I will say what everybody in this constituency knows. Whoever may come, Soniaji will win’. She further added ‘There is no force, which can defeat Sonia Gandhi. I invite you (the media) to name a person who can defeat her’. She was also impressed by her brother’s hard work. She said ‘He has done a good job in organizing party workers by travelling through the constituency for so many days. Rahul has worked very hard...the credit goes to him’.
Priyanka proved herself again on the voting day. Her energy was clearly visible. She went from booth to booth to check out arrangements and kept track of the percentage of votes polled. The magic that the Gandhi dynasty still generates in Rae Bareli was on display. People gathered in huge numbers to catch a glimpse of her. Throughout Sonia Gandhi’s campaign, Priyanka was well protected from the media by the Special Protection Group (SPG), but she still managed to interact with the media and the people.
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