The King’s Speech

The real problem for the Congress Party, after two successive terms, is a strong anti-incumbency wave. It’s not as much about Modi as it is about change, any change.

Two terms, 10 years, a mixed bag on governance, dozens of scams, numerous terror attacks, escalating crime, violence against women & inflation and a global recession thrown in for good measure, from 2004 – 2014, it’s been quite a wild ride for the Congress! India was supposedly shining in 2004 and even the Congress was surprised when they won…but after that, used to power as they are, they really settled on the throne. Now they don’t want to get off, but then, who does?

Even if the Congress had performed – and the jury is mostly decided against this – it would have still been a tall order to combat anti-incumbency. Their strategy now, of falling back on dynasty to lead the way and fight off the surrounding regional hordes, needs finer understanding.

In itself, it is a good enough plan, indeed the only one they can sensibly execute…unite under a common banner of l(r)oyalty, chant long live the Queen and her son, and exhort the masses to continue to believe in the divine leadership. Not that this is a sure-fire plan, but at least it is a plan.

The problem is with the son. The queen, her viziers, all the courtiers and the rank and file are all toeing the party line – but the ‘king in waiting’ seems hesitant, distant, disinterested, inept, stupid, smart, inexperienced, clueless, clever…the list of descriptors increase with each passing day!

Obviously the primary opposition party, the BJP, recognises that they have in the son a possible weak link. Even as they are being badgered to name their prime ministerial candidate, in turn, they’ve made Rahul Gandhi the anointed heir – and hence the soft target!

The son! I’m not able to, as they say, get a fix on him. Is he stupid or clever or smart or smart ass…?

Theories abound.
1. He doesn’t want the job but the Queen is forcing it on him. He would prefer to chill, let his sister inherit the mantle, but mommy says no, the son’s got to do it.
2. He wants the perks of power like he’s seen his mom enjoy it, but without the responsibility and accountability. He wants to be an owner, a malik, and appoint a professional CEO to run the country. Mom got away with it, why not him?
3. He wants the job, he wants to be PM, but he’s just plain dim-witted, has no track record of governance, in fact, he hasn’t even held any real job for any significant length of time. He is just being propped up by the court, being shown off on the war elephant, trumpets blaring!
4. He is extremely intelligent, recognises the anti-incumbency factor, shrewdly understands that if he is to win, then he cannot allow himself to be tarred by the very court he leads, and hence he tries to distance himself from the existing malaise with a genuine promise of change.

Like the colour of the sea, change as it does, ever so often, ever so slightly, so does Mr. Gandhi aggravatingly alternate between these four avatars. It’s hard to slot him into any one. Sometimes he comes across being stupid and sometimes wise as a sage.

But importantly, he often fumbles at pretty straight-forward set piece speech events!

Speeches are the bread and butter of a politician. It is the spoken word, the oratory skills that have made many a mediocre intellect into great leaders. In the modern world, speeches are finely crafted statements, filled with powerful messaging and delivered with all the drama of an elocution competition. When magnified on national and global television, and spread along the billions of impressions generated by social media, such speeches can create larger than life personalities very easily. And very easily hypnotise masses into an illusory sense of trust, comfort and happiness.

We must assume that the Congress Party has its own battery of speech writers, messaging specialists and communications strategists, hard at work to create the perfect King’s Speech! And no matter which avatar he actually is, if he wants to WIN, Rahul Gandhi has to fix the speechifying 🙂 The key to success is sincerity, and you know what they say about that – Sincerity: if you can fake it, you’ve got it made. He can learn a trick or two from Modi.