Congress' aggressive RaGa

Rahul Gandhi went on the attack on Friday, taking Bharatiya Janata Party on with a 45-minute address laced with inspiration, irony and some amount of rage, all aimed at picking up the flagging spirits of Congress’ cadres and reviving its fortunes before the general election after heavy defeats in recent state polls.
Look to the past, he told the All India Congress Committee meeting on Friday. “The Opposition says ‘make India rid of Congress’. They don’t read history books,” said a combative Gandhi. “What is the Congress party? The Congress party is a vision and it is in our hearts, it is the vision of brotherhood, love and honour. The people of the Opposition are not like us. Congress is the party of honest people like Gandhiji.”
With BJP turning up the volume on its call for a “Congress-free India”, Gandhi aimed to buoy the spirits of party workers, telling them that anyone who has attempted to end the idea of Congress has failed.
He also directed a barb at BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, pointing to an authoritarian streak. “Democracy is not rule by diktat or rule by one man.”
Apart from the high-pitched delivery, the speech was notable for a greater coherence in terms of narrative and focus, some observers said, with sarcasm being deployed against rivals.
“The marketing of the Opposition is very good — they can sell combs to bald people. Now we have a new type of people: they have started to give haircuts to bald people,” Gandhi said, in what was read by most as shots fired at BJP and the year-old Aam Aadmi Party.

That didn’t stop him appearing to take a cue from AAP’s style of functioning. “In 15 constituencies in the Lok Sabha polls, we will choose candidates based on the opinion of the party workers,” he said. “If this becomes successful, then we will implement it further.” He also berated AAP’s populism and its propensity to encourage judicial overreach. “MPs, MLAs should make laws, not people in the street. Today the MP and MLAs’ voice is not in lawmaking. Laws are being made by the media, by judges and by people in streets. Not the people elected to make laws. We have to bring you back into lawmaking,” Gandhi said. On the other hand, there were aspects that needed more democratic participation.
“Earlier, the manifesto was made behind closed doors, now we are making our manifesto after seeking the views of everyone,” he said. No Need to be Defensive
Gandhi’s refrain throughout was that there was no need for Congress to be defensive, and that party workers should not be disheartened by BJP’s campaign.
He also sought to deal with the demand that he be named the party’s prime ministerial candidate. Gandhi said the prime minister would be chosen by the party’s lawmakers after the election and not before, citing the constitution. “We will win the election. Our prime minister will be chosen by Congress MPs as mandated by the Constitution of the country,” he said, even as the clamour persisted for his elevation as candidate for PM. Gandhi’s reply was also seen as countering BJP’s interpretation of the Congress decision as a “recognition of the reality” that it was set for defeat.
Gandhi’s pugnacious tone went down well with Congress workers, who said the vice-president turned the day-long meeting into a motivational event. In an effort to reach out to party workers who have found themselves overlooked during ticket distribution in favour of new entrants at successive elections, he said this practice will end. “Only those who have Congress ideology in their blood will contest on party tickets.”
Gandhi reminded party workers that there was a lot Congress had achieved, even suggesting that AAP’s success was a byproduct of the measures Congress took, whether it was the fight against corruption or giving real power to the people. “Congress made the democratic upsurge possible… The single biggest attack on the system is the Right to Information Act,” he said. “Information is power. Through RTI, we gave power to the people of the country. Nobody pressured us to do RTI. Congress got up and said the country needs RTI, every citizen has the right to know what is happening in this country.”
Countering charges of graft against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, Gandhi said the party had done a lot to give an “honest and efficient government”, citing the unique identity, or Aadhaar, programme in this regard.