The Priyanka gamble

Rahul struggled hard for years to get that right. Though he has shown perseverance and courage in the face of a campaign to paint him a dud, the wait for him to come of age has cost his party dearly.

Bhaiyyaji rajneeti mein hain, saalon se (bhaiyyaji has been in politics, for years),” an old Congress worker from Amethi said to me some two years ago. He was referring to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. That’s how Congress old-timers in the constituencies of Amethi and Raebareli have been addressing her ever since she first set foot there as a nine-year-old with her father, Rajiv. Her cropped hair is presumably what earned her that affectionate moniker.
 
And yet it is only now that headlines are finally screaming: “Priyanka Gandhi enters politics.” But when has she not been in politics? Challenge it as