Rising voice, but waning influence

On Tuesday, Priyanka Gandhi’s performance in the Lok Sabha debate on Operation Sindoor reminded one of her talents for public speaking — her swift reflexes, use of gentle mockery and ability to stay on message. Using the Pahalgam massacre — rather than Operation Sindoor, which was a response to it — she tore into PM Modi, telling him that it was not enough to take credit for successes: it was more important to take responsibility for intelligence and security failures and the well-being of the people. The government had also failed on the foreign policy front: Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, she reminded Modi, had been invited to lunch by US President Trump; and Pakistan, ironically, had been appointed to key counter-terrorism bodies at the UNSC.

By personalising the tragic story of those who fell to terrorist bullets, she ensured that she had the attention of MPs and TV viewers. By blaming the Modi government for luring tourists to the Kashmir Valley without providing a modicum of security, she questioned the ruling dispensation’s ability to rule.

She turned Home Minister Amit Shah’s attack on Sonia Gandhi for apparently shedding tears for terrorists killed in the 2008 Batla House encounter against him, saying: “My mother shed those tears when her husband (Rajiv Gandhi) was martyred by terrorists. If I am standing in this House and speaking about the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, it is because I know and … feel their pain." It was a virtuoso performance.

Since the 1990s, Priyanka has been a visible public figure, accompanying first her mother Sonia on her election campaigns, and then, since 2004, brother Rahul Gandhi as well. She is an effective and engaging public speaker, something that has made her much in demand during election campaigns. On Tuesday, she demonstrated that she knew that Parliament speeches demanded a gravitas not needed on the campaign trail.

But while the 53-year-old’s performance on Tuesday was a coming-of-age moment, her importance in the Indian National Congress (INC) has been steadily diminishing. Yes, she is the MP from Wayanad; yes, she is a member of the party’s highest body, the CWC.

But she no longer holds an official post and, indeed, is “no longer a part of the INC’s central decision making", party insiders tell me. She is no longer a party general secretary. And, those close to her in the party — former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Rajya Sabha MPs Rajiv Shukla and Randeep Surjewala, to name three — no longer wield the same clout in the party. (Baghel has since switched his allegiance to party general secretary KC Venugopal, it is learnt). Power is centred in Rahul Gandhi today. And his tight circle of advisers, led by Venugopal, runs the Congress. Some old-timers even say that the latter wields “even more power than the late Ahmed Patel, who at least shared some of his responsibilities with other senior leaders."

The breaking point reportedly came after Priyanka aide Sanjay Singh was held responsible for financial irregularities in the party, and in the wake of conflicting decisions from the camps of the two siblings. An attempt was made to make her the Mahila Congress head — a downgrading of her position — and she resisted it. Eventually, it was felt that Rahul should remain the key party leader and Priyanka focus on her role as MP.

And that is what she did on Tuesday.

Comments