Can Priyanka Vadra shed her Gandhian image and turn into a wiser neta?

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra effortlessly carries the Gandhi-Nehru blueblood, a trait that’s irrefutable. But, having been handed the duty as Congress general secretary and having become the face of Uttar Pradesh East in the impending general elections, will she be able to carry the Congress mantle into glory once again? Albeit for reasons different from what the proponents of dynasty politics would like us to believe, the most crucial question remains, will she be able to change the fortunes of the Congress party, that though having shown strong survival instincts in the recent past, has a long way to go? Handling Uttar Pradesh, the trophy state that sends the highest number of lawmakers to the lower house of Parliament, 80 out of 543, and at present governed by the BJP, will be a tough nut to crack, but, a flurry of defeats in state elections, rising discontent over a weak farm economy accompanied with an uninspiring job growth landscape has rendered the BJP anxious, something that an increasingly bellicose Congress is looking to make the most of.

Despite the fact that overzealous supporters and the media have started drawing parallels between her and her grandmother Indira Gandhi — this is a deception, I believe, she needs to evade. The 47-year-old bears a striking resemblance to India’s “Iron Lady” Indira Gandhi. She has inherited her charisma, spontaneous style and natural ability to connect with people and she is clearly playing her strengths as an articulate communicator and a speaker who painlessly connects with voters. The question lurks, will the beti be able to “bring a government of youth, the poor and peasants” that the beta has promised? Indira Gandhi’s legacy is formidable, despite being controversial. Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s entry into the political arena brings a lot of baggage and piling stakes against her success in the field. Why are we forgetting that these two are different individuals, similar, yet extremely dissimilar? Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could merely be a run-of-the-mill leader or a phenomenal one, very different from her grandmother, one who will take Congress to new heights. But if we constantly keep comparing her to her late grandmother, how will she get the chance to carve out her own niche?

More than ever, the Congress today understands that the only way to grab power is by taking Assembly elections seriously. My reasons for this statement are straightforward. India does not have pan-India national parties. The image of a strong party or leader is created across a country by concrete political advertising, like what Narendra Modi did before he came to power in 2014. He built brand Modi from scratch and there’s no denying the fact he had done an outstanding job at that. In Indian democracy, it has always been state politics that has been producing exemplary leaders such as Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh, whose images has been vikaswaadi or pro-development.

Driving my point back to Uttar Pradesh and Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. UP has been a nucleus for poverty and underdevelopment. They lack basic necessities such as roads, power and water. In a rather backward part of the state, women here have risen to demand development and delivery of public services. Ms Gandhi’s unperturbed tactic to connect with women clubbed with her prior experience of campaign management for her brother and the party all along can well play into her hands. Simply put, she can help the Congress revive its touch at the grassroots level and provide an impetus to dominant leaders and local politicians from backward classes to the fore. What India needs today is a middle-class aam aadmi icon and Ms Gandhi has showcased prowess in being one, an attitude that will help modify the “Rahul versus Modi” pitch. It’s interesting that Mr Modi’s seat of Varanasi falls in the eastern block of UP along with chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s home turf of Gorakhpur, thus making Ms Gandhi’s nomination particularly noteworthy.

Apart from the BJP’s and the Congress’ maneuvers to take over the UP turf, there are the two major regional outfits, the Samajwadi Party with Akhilesh Yadav at the helm and the Bahujan Samaj Party governed by Mayawati. Former enemies, the latter two have formed an alliance to take on Mr Modi whilst leaving the Congress out of the alliance. Ms Gandhi may change the math. Besides enthusing the crowds to vote for the Congress, when Ms Gandhi will connect, she will lend an ear to people who have grievances against Mr Yadav and Ms Mayawati. The announcement could not have come a better time, days before India goes to polls in May, only to show that the party means business and is taking no chance that will spoil Mr Modi’s ousting. Also, declaring this in Amethi, a constituency that has been nurtured by the Nehru-Gandhi family for decades, gives a clear message that they are set to brandish their heritage to refute Mr Modi’s esteem.

Whilst Sonia Gandhi has always been disapproved for being of Italian lineage, her daughter comes with no such baggage. Her Nehru-Gandhi bloodline is enough credibility. What will be tough for Mr Modi is to attack Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra politically given her age and gender. Mr Modi, an advocate for girl child empowerment and education, will surely not have the courage to directly attack one of the most popular women faces in Indian politics. But that will not stop him from intensifying assaults against Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra, a businessman accused of corruption in land deals. The way she responds to such enquiries will test her maturity and competency as a representative of a national party.

The Indian media has been calling Ms Gandhi Congress’ trump card, but her conviction and competence into active politics will certainly invigorate the party mechanism that has been lying dormant since 1988 when the party’s dominance ended in UP. Will Ms Gandhi, who is commonly called the “Brahmastra”, an ultimate weapon described in ancient Hindu scriptures, be able to win the electoral battle in UP? Only time will tell how Ms Gandhi will emerge — from the shadows of her grandmother and prove her mettle or drown under pressure to be her mirror image. Let’s give her a fair chance and wait.

The writer is a Ph.D. in economics, a former vice-chairperson of the Nasscom Product Council, core committee member, WEP — Niti Aayog and a serial Indian entrepreneur and angel investor