Land, internet, Gorbachev: Is 'over-enthusiastic' Rahul Gandhi making a new mess of understanding?

After a fairly impressive comeback in the Parliament where he took on the Narendra Modi government over the farmers' issue, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi now speaks on the issue of net neutrality in the Lok Sabha. [What is net neutrality]

Rahul targetting Modi to make his voice sound stronger?

The Congress leader has started his latest innings as an MP (he had so many) on a positive note. To see him speak regularly in the Parliament will undoubtedly boost his own party but is Rahul Gandhi deliberately chasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make his points even stronger? [Highs and lows of Rahul Gandhi's Lok sabha speech]

Is it a two-faced strategy to challenge the Modi government?

The Congress vice-president started participating in the agitation over the land bill precisely because crucial elections in Bihar and West Bengal, states with substantial rural vote-banks, are due in the next one year.

Land bill agitation to woo rural voters

The Congress leadership banks on the rural votes for it knows very well that competing for urban votes is difficult in this era of Narendra Modi, the man who has a huge support base in the cities and urban parts.

For the Congress to make any turnaround in national politics, states like Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh (to go to polls in 2017) are extremely important and it will have to make strong penetration in these states that account for 162 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Supporting net neutrality to woo urban voters

But the grand-old party also knows that the power of today's India resides among the middle-class and the youth. Only sympathising with the rural voters might not bring it the desired success if the Congress overlooks the need of the youth and the middle-class. And for that, taking a definite stand on issues like net neutrality is key.

Rahul Gandhi's issue-based focus must not get derailed by 'less' understanding

The Modi government has already spoken in the favour of net neutrality and it will be beneficial for the Congress if it also pitches for the same. Convincing the middle-class and the youth can't be done in a better way. Rahul Gandhi and his think-tank made a spot-on analysis on this.

Strategy is good but can Rahul Gandhi really sustain the attack?

The strategy of issue-based dealing with the government is not bad. But the problem is whether Rahul Gandhi has it in him to sustain attacks on the government on various aspects. One gets a feeling that the 44-year-old leader equalled the twin issues of land and internet by trying to project that the government snatched both land and internet from the youth.

From where did Mikhail Gorbachev come in?

The man was also heard making remarks on former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev. Although it was not clear what was the exact point he was making and how is Gorbachev related to the current debate?

The Congress doesn't want a fresh goof-up in its mission to make a comeback with a relaunched Rahul Gandhi.