Pink Wave: Priyanka's entry likely to herald the politics of compassion

This year’s elections are nothing short of a nail-biting, edge of the seat, political drama. With just two months left to the elections another scion of the Gandhi family, Priyanka Gandhi, has thrown her hat in the ring.

Priyanka is a responsible person. She is a wonderful mother, a good wife and a loving daughter and sister. She has fulfilled her duties on all counts and it was only when she felt she could invest a hundred percent in this relentless realm of politics did she give her nod to it.

Who is to say that she should have joined earlier or later or not at all? She is an educated, bright, cultured person, and it will do well for the BJP to remember that she is a daughter of India as much as the collective sons of India in their party. Politics is no one person’s fiefdom.

It is fortuitous that Priyanka decided to join active politics now.

Her decision has enthused the Congress party cadre across the board. The task cut out for Priyanka is challenging and she will emerge a winner — of this there is no doubt. The BJP is rattled and so much that it has stepped up its political vendetta against Robert Vadra in an attempt to hold back the juggernaut of Priyanka Gandhi. They too know she will be victorious.

Her appointment upsets those with a patriarchal mindset and even news channels are being arm-twisted to beep out sexist comments.

They are commenting on her looks! Of course, Priyanka is beautiful. Who can deny a beauty that comes from a person who believes in unifying, who believes in growth and development? Who can deny the energy of her youth? Priyanka has come as a stark contrast to the ugliness of the gunda raj and the divisive politics of Uttar Pradesh, a state reeling under misrule.

As a woman it upsets me to hear the amount of hate that stems from certain quarters, but I am not surprised, given that the current polity belongs to a backward male mindset. Untouched by the feminist movement in India their protectionist attitude is to Bachao the Beti, but in real life the number of rapes and molestations have escalated in the nation. It also remains to be debated whose Beti they are saving, giving the kind of anti-minority sentiment prevailing in the nation.

Having a strident young woman in the political mix definitely upsets many ultra-macho people and Priyanka has thrown them gauntlet in this tough fight.

In this age of visuals, Priyanka definitely adds to the appeal of the Gandhi cadre. She is a charismatic campaigner and her brother, Rahul Gandhi, the current Congress party chief has welcomed her inclusion saying he knows she is a good and thorough worker. They make a strong team and it is heartening and moving to see the brother and sister take charge. They have decided to serve the people of our country, despite the painful events in their lives. Their grandmother and father, both met grievous deaths while at the helm of the nation.

People recognise Priyanka immediately. He resemblance to her late grandmother, Indira Gandhi, is unmistakable. This association of Priyanka with Indiraji is no small thing. Do not forget how despite the much-maligned Emergency, she beat the Janata Party at the hustings and came back to power.

Priyanka is bound to be a game-changer in the current political scenario. Journalist and author Sagarika Ghose says, “A woman Gandhi is a very powerful symbol and Indira Gandhi’s mystique lives on.” Ghose is Indira Gandhi’s biographer and has interviewed Priyanka several times.

Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said to unequivocal applause: “UP is central to building a new hope filled and compassionate India. The new UP AICC team lead by Priyanka and Jyotiraditya, will herald the dawn of a new kind of politics in the state. We will offer the youth in UP a dynamic new platform to transform the state.”

The opposition is not taking this lying down. Their concerted effort is to try desperately and throw up a scandal, with the Robert Vadra case being revisited by the CBI after it went silent for all these years. Predictably the case has been reopened.

However, the links that are being drawn between Vadra and the firms on the block are oblique and alleged. There is little real evidence here and it is tantamount to creating a storm in a teacup.

The BJP is trying to divert people’s attention from the real matters at hand. They have psyched themselves and rightly so — all of them are walking about with their quills out, like a bunch of porcupines. The mess in Uttar Pradesh is unholy. It is so heinous that the BJP has drawn a ring of fire around it and is sabre-rattling, trying to keep everyone away.

The Shiv Sena, Sangh Parivar and the BJP are known for their divisive politics that target minorities and it is a small wonder that they have come together.

The Gandhi approach has always been one of inclusion, and their growing strength in the recent state elections stand testimony to the truth that the nation is tired of hate-mongering.

Make no mistake; Priyanka is not just dipping her toe into the political pool. She belongs to a family that has lived and breathed politics for generations. She has been a star campaigner for the Congress in her mother and brother’s constituencies. She has been taking charge of organisational meetings in both Rae Bareli and Amethi, and has campaigned in these Lok Sabha constituencies in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and in the Assembly segments in these two districts ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections.

Her speeches of the past have been candid and effective. Priyanka is a natural and she gravitates towards the people much like the crowds gravitate to her. Listening to her speak is nothing short of a delight. She speaks lucidly and without fear.

This is indeed an exciting time in Indian politics. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka have captured the attention of the peoples of India. They are sitting up, listening, waiting and watching out for an opportunity to support this sibling duo and turn the fortunes of our great nation, which is now beleaguered under the politics of vendetta and hate.

The writer is the chairperson of the AICC grievance cell. The views expressed here are personal.