It seems that Dentsu, the PR firm hired for Rahul’s makeover, has started showing its effect. Also, Rahul must have started picking this art from quite media friendly Aam Aadmi Party and its leaders.
In what could be seen as natural progression from ‘shying away from responsibility’ to ‘taking some’, Rahul Gandhi has now declared that he wants to become the prime ministerial nominee for his party. What is more interesting is the fact that Rahul made this announcement via an interview to a national daily.
In an interview to Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, Rahul said, “I am a sepoy of Congress. I will obey whatever order is given to me. I will do whatever Congress wants me to do… Decisions are taken in our party by senior leaders.”
“Earlier also some decisions were taken…Power is poison ….does not mean that I am not keen to take responsibility. There is no word of reluctance in my life…Congress has never been specific. Whatever task the Congress wanted me to accomplish, I have done that,” Rahul said when asked whether he was ready to take up the post of Prime Minister and about perceptions of him being reluctant.
Toning his answers further down, Rahul added, “We are a democratic organisation. We have faith in democracy. The people of India will decide through their elected representatives, who will be the Prime Minister of the country. It is necessary for Congress to come to power in the interests of the nation and for that whatever responsibility the organisation has given me or will give me, I will carry out that with full dedication.”
The Gandhi family has always kept its distance from the popular media. The only time they are in front of the people speaking about them or themselves are election rallies or public gatherings at special occasion. Taking part in media debates, shows or interviews in not what they normally do.
It seems that Dentsu, the PR firm hired for Rahul’s makeover, has started showing its effect. Also, Rahul must have started picking this art from quite media friendly Aam Aadmi Party and its leaders.
This change in the Congress vice president and scion has been evident since Congress lost in all four assembly elections in December last year. He had been taking calculated steps towards building his image while the chorus of anointing him as PM nominee grew louder in Congress.
However, he took the same old line on BJP’s poll pitch of “Congress free India” saying that “BJP today wants a personality-oriented rule, which is not in the interests of the country. The country should not be governed according to thinking of a particular person and his ways. The future of 120 crore people can be shaped up and improved only by taking everybody along.”
Oddly enough, he praised AAP again for bringing “a progressive change in the country’s politics” despite his disagreement with its policies for “short term gain”.
All we can say that Rahul is changing, for good.
