Rahul Gandhi for UP CM: Is Prashant Kishor testing the political waters?

While many Congressmen pooh-pooh Kishor, more senior members of the party believe the move could be intended to assess political headwinds

At a time when India’s Grand Old Party is waiting for the dust from the ongoing Assembly elections to settle down before the Congress scion takes over its reins, the “Rahul for UP CM” talk has set the proverbial cat among the pigeons. While senior Congress leaders were at a loss for words not knowing how to tackle this googly, the more voluble ones angrily questioned the credibility of the man who is purportedly behind the idea, Congress’ UP election strategist Prashant Kishor. There are still those who see beyond the obvious, perceiving this as a ploy by the strategist to “test political temperatures.”

An angry young politician, when asked about this described Kishor (who has changed political camps with every election) as a “mole” of Nitish Kumar, who has given him Cabinet rank minister status in Bihar. “He (Kishor) wants to contain Rahul Gandhi to UP while he clears the way for Nitish Kumar at the Centre in 2019.”

Raj Babbar, a Congress spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member from UP, termed the suggestion “laughable, a joke.”

While several Congress party members tried to outdo each other in proclaiming their loyalty to the Gandhi scion, angrily dismissing it through “on the record” soundbytes, the more seasoned ones differed.

“The astute election strategist is merely testing political temperatures,” is how a seasoned Congressman put it. “In simple words it’s a red herring. Overtly it seems to be a call for Rahul Gandhi as CM face for 2017 but what Kishor could be attempting to do would be to get Congress which has been relegated to the margins, back in the reckoning. And see he seems to have succeeded, look at all the talk it has generated.”

For a party that has been out of power in the state for over three decades, it is imperative for any strategist to create a buzz about the party, Congress is at present ranked fourth in the state, well below the BJP, SP and BSP.

As a more experienced Congress insider put it, “What seems more credible is Priyanka Gandhi as the party face in UP. So when pushing forward both the siblings names, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s, with Rahul obviously headed for party President, the default option would be Priyanka Gandhi.”

When Rahul Gandhi himself was asked about it, he smiled and told reporters, "Mujhe kya pata, aap hi log khabar chalate ho, aap hi log jano (What do I know, you people put out such news, so you should know).”

Incidentally, Kishor’s recommendation has not been officially condemned nor has he been censured by the party, leading many to believe that this was part of the “controversial tactics” being used by the election strategist.  

However, for a party as stodgy and laidback as the Congress, whether such strong electric shocks will be too much to handle or if they will resuscitate it in the barren tracts of UP is anyone’s guess.