“Everything is fair in love and war”, it is said. This rule aptly applies to Indian politics. In the game of political war, it seems that everything that is happening around us is fair. So is the entry of Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra in the arena of politics and the action of the Enforcement Directorate against her husband Robert Vadra. Vadra is being called for interrogation by the ED several times during the last week and there is every possibility of him being sent behind the bars after the term of protection that the court has granted to him is expired.
Portraying her controversial businessman husband Robert Vadra, as a victim of “political vendetta” and backing him to the hilt is the high-risk strategy chosen by newly-minted Congress “neta” Priyanka. The drama has reached a point of curiosity as no one knows what would be the final outcome of this play.
Priyanka is standing by him like a rock. Saying that “he is family and I support my family”, she dropped him off on first two days at the ED office in Delhi, ensuring that their car journey took over the headlines, before reaching the Congress Head Office and taking the charge of the new responsibility along with Jyotiraditya Scindia. With this Family First approach, “PGV”, as she is referred to by Congress leaders, has made it clear that she has no reticence in engaging with the corruption allegations against her husband as an election issue between the BJP and her party.
Embarrassed
“This is our considered party strategy,” senior Congress leaders openly boast. “It is certainly a change from when we used to call Robert a private citizen and yet put up an embarrassed defence of him. Priyanka says there should be no squeamishness. We should take on the BJP frontally on Robert and all other issues. Priyanka’s politics is take the bull by the horns. Now even Rahul Gandhi has come around to the same view.”
While even the BJP can’t fault the optics of a wife offering staunch support to her husband, the reason I say this is a substantially risky approach is because Robert is not the kind of figure likely to draw much public sympathy. On the other hand, the anti-corruption mantra that Modi used to become Prime Minister has lost much of its sheen, though.
He had excited public imagination by saying that he would end corruption by setting up special courts for scamsters and con-men who helped themselves to public money, apart from ensuring the return passage of black money from Swiss banks. On Robert, he had promised to jail “damaad-ji” (son-in-law), as he used to witheringly refer to Robert in public meetings. None of it happened. In fact, Modi’s show piece corruption case, the 2G spectrum case, collapsed in court, with all accused being acquitted in 2017.
Curiously, though, the Congress believes that Modi has lost credibility and the flagrant abuse of investigative agencies against political opponents is not being lost on the public. Intriguingly, Mamata Banerjee, often not friendly with the younger Gandhis, and by far the toughest political customer in the Opposition, reportedly endorsed the Congress charge of “political vendetta” against Robert on last Tuesday.
This support came as she ended a surreal stand-off with the centre over the CBI moving to question the West Bengal top cop over charges that he is conspiring to destroy evidence to protect her and other leaders from her party in cases of corruption. Such a direct linking of arms between Mamta and the Congress would have been unimaginable even a couple of months ago, but the systematic misuse of the CBI by Modi and his most trusted aide, BJP chief Amit Shah, have block-chained the opposition.
A day after Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati announced their game-changing alliance in the must-get state of Uttar Pradesh, raids and cases began to intimidate both leaders. Interestingly, those leaders who switch to the BJP have their cases mysteriously vanish – witness Mukul Roy who switched from Mamata’s Trinomool and Himanta Biswa Sarma who moved over from the Congress.
Both were named for alleged roles in the Saradha chit fund scam, declared a Ponzi scheme. Ahead of the Karnataka state election in May last year, the CBI obligingly dropped all charges of illegal mining against the controversial Reddy brothers, candidates of the BJP.
The question is what next for Priyanka? With every week unfolding new evidence of the ruling party targeting its political opponents using the CBI or ED, the Congress plans to milk that as its defence. A top Congress leader said, “Every time they will raise Robert, we will raise Rafale.” To ensure no crossed wires and no parallel “durbar”, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi have configured a team of aides who have worked with Rahul before. The common link is Kanishka Singh who used to handle
Rahul’s office and has been now working with Priyanka. Journalist-turned-Congressman Rajeev Shukla, who has been Priyanka’s Bollywood outreach resource, will also work closely with her. The hope is to get mega-stars including Shah Rukh Khan to campaign for the Congress. Preeti Sahai will continue as before in Priyanka’s office.
Jitendra Singh, who is a close aide of Rahul’s, will also coordinate with her. Jyotiraditya Scindia, who, apart from Priyanka, is the other General Secretary for UP, will work closely with the siblings. Priyanka’s display of support for her husband also coincided with her formally taking charge of her post. Ahmed Patel, party treasurer and long-time trusted aide of Sonia Gandhi, has constant access to both her children and the huge responsibility of raising funds to match the BJP.
Robert vs Rafale
While Rahul will campaign across the country, Priyanka, responsible for the disastrous alliance with Akhilesh Yadav in the last state election in UP, will concentrate only on the state. Expect fierce attacks on Modi from both the Gandhis as the script seems to be Robert versus Rafale. No doubt close on the heels of her official entry into politics, Priyanka has decided to play a risky game to stand by her husband on one hand and take on Modi and company on the other. Let’s see who wins this game of nerves.
Bharatkumar Raut is a political analyst and former Member of Parliament (RS).
