Congress's confusion

The party remains one of Mr Modi's most valuable political assets

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dominance of national politics and enduring popularity despite economic problems and mis-steps have been helped in no small measure by the puerile tactics of Rahul Gandhi. The former president of the Congress — he stepped down in July 2019, taking responsibility for the party’s poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections — appears to be convinced that personal attacks against Mr Modi are the most effective way to discredit him despite all the evidence of the last six years. Mr Gandhi appears not to have grasped the reality, and cannot understand why his party leaders (such