Should Rahul leave the game to the big boys?

Was this the last chance for the Congress vice president to prove his political importance?

New Delhi, March 11: When Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi made his grand debut in 2012, he was touted as the next Rajiv Gandhi. Soon, he was the media's favourite child and the face of the Congress.

Perhaps, people had high hopes from Jawaharlal Nehru's great grandson. All that changed after the Congress party's debacle in nearly all the elections in recent times which has brought out a debate over Rahul's leadership, since everyone knows he takes the final decisions in the party.

Many in the party think Priyanka, Rahul's sister, and who has campaigned both for him and her mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, should enter politics since she is a 'better' candidate. But she has not been much active in the party except for the campaigning part. Many people see her as a natural successor to her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

In the assembly elections, the BJP is set to sweep back to power in Uttar Pradesh after 15 long years. BJP candidates led in all major cities in particular, including in five of the eight seats in Lucknow, eight of the 10 seats in Kanpur, nine of the 12 seats in Allahabad and seven of the eight seats in Varanasi, Modi's Lok Sabha constituency. In Uttarakhand too, the BJP surged towards a decisive victory.

The infighting in his party in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh proved Rahul's 'weak leadership'. The Congress had already lost assembly elections in states such as Andhra Pradesh and Maharasthra because of the same reason.

So, was this the last chance for Rahul to taste political victory? If one witnesses his poll speeches, one gets feeling that he doesn't belong there. Should he step down now and leave the game to the big boys ?

OneIndia News