Forget a Congress-Mukt Bharat, Modi has failed to even make it Gandhi-Mukt

'Congress-Mukt Bharat' was the clarion call given by then-candidate Narendra Modi during the 2014 general election campaign. The slogan made perfect sense as the election was about defeating a Congress-led coalition (UPA) completing a second consecutive term in power.

And so did the personal attacks on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, from India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to current party president Rahul Gandhi, given that the direct or indirect control of the grand old party, and over many governments, has been with members of the family for a majority of the period since independence.

The call for a Congress and dynasty free India found much resonance with the voters. The approach paid rich rewards with the Congress getting a paltry number (44) at the centre and losing a string of elections in different states for the next few years. Whereas the BJP won a simple majority on its own and the alliance led by it crossed 330. Plus it formed governments in more than 20 states at one point in time.

Yet only five years on, instead of a Congress-free India or disappearance of the Gandhis from active politics, the party is going into the general election campaign with not only a winning momentum but also under tighter control of the Gandhi family with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joining her brother Rahul, after her formal entry into active politics.

While Rahul deserves credit for the improved place his party and family find in the political narrative today, the help provided by the insistence of Prime Minister Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party to continue playing the same old 2014 tune of blaming the Congress for all that ails India and personal attacks on Rahul, cannot be underestimated.

Added to by what many have termed as Modi's broken promises during his tenure and self-inflicted wounds like the 'Demonetisation' exercise followed by hasty implementation of the Goods and Services Tax regime, that too with an unprecedented celebration for bringing in a new tax. To name a few.

Instead of welcoming a brighter future as was promised to them, the voters have been handed a lesson perfectly described by the proverb, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

To make matters worse for the ruling dispensation, the latest entry from the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty isn't coming into politics at a time of its low ebb. Instead, she comes in at a time where the Congress is seen to be regaining lost ground, with positive election results in state elections as well as surveys suggesting Modi will not find coming back to power easy.

So while there are a lot of issues that the general public will find disappointing about Modi's reign, his inability to bring in a much-wanted change in the Congress culture of India can be ranked among the top ones. Especially when the dynasty he has so lambasted is seen as his preferred replacement.