Readers’ comments: Ramachandra Guha ignores the hostility of India’s institutions to the Opposition

Thank you for this excellent, perceptive article. Ramachandra Guha is absolutely right in stating that it’s the Gandhis who help keep the present administration in power, albeit as an unintended negative consequence (How the Gandhi family has helped Modi consolidate power). And Priyanka Gandhi can’t be the answer.

The continuous harping on the “dynast” note from the ruling party is more targeted at the Congress rank and file and aspiring leaders to demotivate them rather than the public. The hidden message being “you have no future in Congress if you are not a G by blood or marriage”.

However, I would like to highlight another point in the Gandhi family’s approach to nurturing next generation leadership that is conspicuously absent. All young or relatively young leaders – they are few and far between in the present-day Congress – are systematically ignored or sidelined, like Sachin Pilot, Adhir Chowdhury and others.

It seems the Gandhi matriarch and siblings are scared of their throne being usurped if someone else comes into in the limelight. And the BJP is playing this to the hilt through subtle messaging to demotivate the younger crop of potential leaders who could do the final legwork for any Congress victory in the hustings.

The rest of the Opposition parties (except the Left) or most of them are so corrupt that the less said the better. And the Left is but a mere shadow of its past glory thanks to historical blunders and wrong analyses and strategies to tackle the present situation. – Anindya Bose

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Vocabulary, articulation and the richness of language does not cover up the author’s grudge against the BJP and more so against Narendra Modi. In that, the author and Rahul Gandhi are quite similar.

He is lost, struggling and hurt because something assumed to be family property (India) was snatched by a non-dynast, a common man and a party which is fundamentally different from the sugar-coated nationalism of the Congress and its false claims of freedom. The author must be feeling the same.

The empire collapsed since Modi came and suddenly, your domain of influence is no longer the privilege of dynasts like you. Such anguish is natural and human. You must have felt more human in last 12-13 years than before. Get used to it. – Anant Pandhare

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It was interesting to read the five rejoinders (“Five rejoinders: What Ramachandra Guha gets wrong about Rahul Gandhi”). But perhaps Scroll should also publish some short essays on why Narendra Modi keeps winning, why millions of Indians think he is needed, why they ignore lapses in governance and maintain their focus on rejecting the entire Congress ecosystem. – M Rajivlochan

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One wonders why the Congress and its supporters revolve around only Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. This is partly the reason why most readers have also started believe that these two are the only ones capable of fighting the BJP and Narendra Modi. No one from India’s 140 crore population is as capable of Rahul Gandhi it seems. None of these authors have mentioned the achievements of the BJP and Modi in the last 15-20 years.

The BJP government is doing more for development and the common people of India. One can feel the changes everywhere but these writers only focused on the Gandhis. Even the BJP government will be thrown out it if starts building an empire. But as long as Modi builds India, no one can replace him. – Navin Patel

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The authors have nothing to do with objectivity. One attempts to portray Rahul Gandhi as a modern-day Nehru, better than Rajiv and even Indira Gandhi, which is be laughable were not so absurd. This shows Scroll will publish anything for money. Scroll will not survive for long, that is for sure. – Indranil Mookerji

Media, money power helps Modi

It seems the BJP has succeeded in projecting Rahul Gandhi as a leader of no substance (“Readers’ comments: Ramachandra Guha is right – Congress has no competent leadership”). A closer look shows that if given a chance, Gandhi may prove to be a better leader. Modi’s projection as a strong and effective leader is due to the massive political propaganda of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Indeed, many Hindus support Modi because they are sold the idea that Sanatan Dharma is in great danger by the newspaper and television media. – Yudhvir Talwar

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This was well written and I don’t doubt your vision. But what I see lacking is the support of other parties, because most people are chasing power. The party winning elections have more support from Opposition party members through defections for greed. Most elected representatives of Opposition parties don’t have patience for five years and are ready to be bought out for money. This gives more power to the ruling party though they are doing nothing for nation. – Kamlesh Betala

Gandhi is PM material

Ramachandra Guha’s analysis of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi is not supported by facts. It is no secret that the ruling BJP is manipulating elections with the support of central government agencies, institutions, and the media and money power. Modi has only succeeded in fooling the nation, spreading lies, and polarizing the country. Is this Modi’s hard work and leadership?

Guha also said Gandhi has no experience of holding office and also refused Ministerial position during the United Progressive Alliance regime. But Modi too became a first-time MLA, Gujarat chief minister and then prime minister with little education.

Gandhi has worked hard to shed the image that Modi and BJP have created of him. He needs to improve and he is trying. He is honest, educated, well-meaning, and of course hard-working. He could not turn opportunities to his advantage. He also lacks resources and organisational support which he needs to re-create. Even then if Modi is scared of anyone, that is only Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi is a prime ministerial material. – Rajat Baisya

Not an objective analysis

In blaming the Gandhis and Rahul, in particular, Ramachandra Guha does not give any objective analysis of the current, almost hopeless political situation in India. A more objective reading of the causes is as under:

1. Every major institution in India has been compromised, including the media, the judiciary and even the Election Commission. When the media has been bought, how can the voice of the Gandhis and anyone in the Opposition be correctly portrayed? The Election Commission’s partisan behaviour is also casting doubts on the credibility of elections.

2. Indians are not given to mass uprisings. It was another Gandhi who led us to rise against the British. For us to rise against the autocratic rule of the Modi-Shah combine seems to be a much more daunting task. But we can still rise to the occasion and a man who could walk across the length of the country is best placed to lead Indians.

All power to the right, thinking people, especially, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. – Malcolm R Printer