Why Congress is seeing a Priyanka Gandhi vs Rahul moment again

After back-to-back poll routs in Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi, a familiar murmur was heard in Congress -- a national leadership role for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. That murmur has now grown into voices within the party publicly calling for a meaty central role for Priyanka, whose transition from a behind-the-scenes strategist to a frontline shrewd politician has not gone unnoticed. Does it signal a lack of faith in her brother and the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi? The BJP feels so, as well as some within the Congress.

The spark was lit by senior Odisha MLA Mohammed Moquim, who, in his letter to Sonia Gandhi, questioned the Congress leadership and suggested a greater role for Priyanka. At the same time, he pointed out his inability to meet Rahul Gandhi for almost three years despite being an MLA. A week later, the 60-year-old leader was shown the door.

CONGRESS MP's PRIYANKA FOR PM CHORUS

On Tuesday, another voice from the Congress echoed Moquim's sentiment -- Saharanpur MP Imran Masood. Masood, in fact, went a step further and asserted that the Wayand MP would make for a great prime minister like Indira Gandhi.

Masood, who is known to be close to Priyanka, made the remarks when he was asked about the Congress general secretary's recent comment on the violence against Hindus in unrest-hit Bangladesh.

"Is Priyanka Gandhi the Prime Minister? Make her the prime minister and see how she responds, just like Indira Gandhi did. She is Priyanka Gandhi, a Gandhi by name, the granddaughter of Indira Gandhi, who dealt Pakistan such a blow that its scars remain even today. Make her the prime minister and see the retaliation. You would not dare to do that," Masood told ANI.

The Saharanpur MP's remarks caused a stir in the Congress, which has been projecting Rahul Gandhi as the face taking on the Modi government.

Hours later, Masood issued a clarification, seemingly after a prod from the All India Congress Committee, TOI reported. "It had nothing to do with Rahul Gandhi, who is our leader. He is also the leader of Priyanka Gandhi," Masood said.

The BJP was quick to pounce on the apparent rift in the Congress, suggesting that the back-and-forth by Masood signalled the party's lack of confidence in Rahul.

"Imran Masood clearly said he has no faith in Rahul Gandhi anymore. Rahul hatao Priyanka Gandhi laao. Now, he wants to work towards making Priyanka Gandhi the prime minister... This means Rahul has not just lost the public vote; his allies rejected him, and now there seems to be a problem in Janpath also. Rahul Gandhi neither has janmat, nor sangat, nor support from Janpath," BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted.

PRIYANKA GANDHI SHINES IN PARLIAMENT

The voices for Priyanka have grown stronger at a time when the Wayanad MP grabbed eyeballs with her speeches during the winter session of Parliament -- first, during the Vande Mataram debate and then while opposing the VB-G RAM G Bill to replace the MGNREGA.

In the winter session, both the Gandhi siblings spoke, but it was Priyanka's speech that made headlines, and short reels flooded social media.

For the 30 minutes she spoke, Priyanka was at her fiery best, taking on the BJP over its tirade against Jawaharlal Nehru. She didn't dither from taking potshots at PM Modi, advising him to make a list of insults for Nehru.

"Whether it is 999 or 9,999, make a list, and then we can decide on a time... just like we are debating for 10 hours on Vande Mataram. We are ready to debate about it for as long as you want," Priyanka said.

"But let us use the Parliament's precious time for the job people have elected us for. Once and for all, let's close the chapter," she said amid thunderous cheers from Congress MPs.

Her words were measured, but it was her delivery, in chaste Hindi and with a disarming smile, that won kudos. If compared to her brother's speeches, which were more confrontational and most times veered off topic, it was Priyanka who shone.

During his speech, Rahul stuck to his pet theme of vote theft, and his speech did not cut much ice. In fact, during the discussion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju pointed out that Rahul was taking up irrelevant issues and did not touch on electoral reforms.

When compared, Rahul's speech hardly drew the rapturous applause that followed that of Priyanka.

INFLUENCE ACROSS PARTY LINES

Her charisma and quick-thinking ability were also on show when she managed to get a real-time appointment with Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on the floor of the Lok Sabha. Speaking during the Question Hour, Priyanka said she had been seeking an appointment with Gandkari since June. Gadkari said no appointment was needed and invited her to come to his office after the proceedings.

Viral images showed Priyanka and Gadkari chatting over snacks and tea. Her goal was accomplished - getting the minister's focus on six projects in Kerala.

The cordiality with members of the ruling party didn't end there. With Rahul skipping the last week of the Parliament session, Priyanka attended the tea party hosted by the Lok Sabha Speaker. In fact, it was the first in two years that a member of the Gandhi family attended the customary meet.

Despite the acrimony seen in the session, Priyanka was seen sharing light-hearted moments with PM Modi and Rajnath Singh. It showed her ability to get along with the ruling party while keeping the bitter rivalry aside.

While Priyanka may be a political greenhorn, making her electoral debut only a year back, she scores on three points:

1) Seen as more relatable and better at articulating a viewpoint.
2) Visible and engaged in Parliament and party matters.
3) Considered accessible for party leaders.

While questions grow over Priyanka's expanding role within the Congress, at a time when she is emerging as the party's key troubleshooter, it remains to be seen how the party tackles "Rahul vs Priyanka" headlines.

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