The Two Extreme Political Cardinals

Two years back when Rahul Gandhi visited my university and addressed the college-crowd, I thought he depicted the epitome of leadership, his poise had a striking resemblance to the Late PM Rajiv Gandhi, his humbleness promised pure and clean politics, his communication was confident, fluent and filled with conviction, and he invoked a sense of faith in his listeners….I thought ‘finally’ India will be governed by a deserving candidate.

Now, in 2012, the unshakeable trust grounded in my heart has somewhat lost its foundation and I question the future of India if it ever lies in his captaincy.

Reason: Very simple. He took the Gandhi name for granted for far too long. He made several promises to the underprivileged, but fulfilled very few. He kept mum during the Anna Hazare campaign when actually he should have voiced his opinion loud and clear. And lastly, he failed to win even a single seat for Congress in his own constituency (Amethi)! Too much hype had been created, too much faith had been bestowed and too many projections had been made about this man, but he failed blatantly. The only reason this man is still valued is because of the surname that he tags along with his name. He is the fourth generation to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has dominated the Congress party, and to a large extent Indian politics. I believe almost every Indian inevitably grounds his faith in the Gandhi family, and the reason why Congress has survived for so long is because the Gandhi pack holds its reins.

But the magic-wand of Sonia Gandhi is losing its charm and her well-projected son just faced a massive blow in UP polls. Where Rahul emerged as an utter flop-show in this year’s elections, an unheard name meticulously worked hard to win a trusted position in Uttar Pradesh. A man named Akhilesh Yadav. This no-nonsense tech savvy man, invariably accompanied by an iPad that dangles by his side, a Anna-like topi adorning his head  and an unassuming non-flamboyant air that follows him, brought glory to Samajwadi Party at an early age of 38. Very little is known about Akhilesh, but from what I collected, I understand he is a man if grit, determination and humility. He never disclosed his identity (that of being Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son) in his college, nor did he use his ever so-strong political connections for his benefit. Where on one end, Rahul was nurtured and publicly exhibited as the future face of Congress party, the latter was kept under-cover and educated thoroughly. While there have been uncountable rumours about Rahul being arrested with his Columbian girlfriend in Boston, Akhilesh has thrived with a clean image in our minds. Both represent extreme ends of politics, and both rely on purely opposite tactics of winning over people. Rahul travelled in local trains to manifest his so-called ‘common-man’ image, while Akhilesh actually took his image of being a common man seriously. He flies by economy class every time, unlike the flamboyant chopper trips of Rahul Gandhi.

But above all, what swept me away is his honest attempt to develop UP. I recently heard that Akhilesh Yadav has created a Facebook page where he’ll be inviting suggestions for UP’s development. Now doesn’t this remind you of Anil Kapoor’s ‘Nayak’?  What Style, What Optimism and What Charisma. 

This man is here to transform the face of politics, and for good!

I hope Uttar Pradesh’s youngest chief minister will induce development with a pinch of technology and a slice of education.  

After all he is what every Indian yearns for in politics, young, dynamic and most importantly literate.