As Rahul Gandhi is poised to take over as the Congress president, one of the hotly debated topics over social media is if 'the Reluctant Politician' is ready to don the mantle. Ask the team working with him in Gujarat and they will say, yes he is.
His tweets are funnier (it's his team that's doing the job), he is mingling more with people (he is becoming more social) and he is actually pulling crowds in a state like Gujarat that hasn't voted Congress to power in the last 22 years.
This reporter travelled in Gujarat extensively for election coverage and saw Rahul in action- he was hitting all the right buttons like starting his speech with local language (kem chho is Rahul's answer to PM Narendra Modi's Mitron), sticks to core issues like education, jobs and health. Why, he is even referring to Ramayana and Mahabharata that connects with people. He is far more comfortable answering awkward questions.
This is vastly different from his 2014 avatar where he was fumbling and was nicknamed Pappu by the then opposition.
The new Rahul is patiently listening to people from the ground, is having a straight dialogue with his audience unlike in the past where he would only deliver a speech.
"He is far more accessible now. There are few restrictions but they are friendlier in nature- like this instruction to talk to him only in Hindi. He has also asked us not to make promises that cannot be fulfilled," says a leader from Gujarat who was accompanying Rahul on his tours. Rahul wearing simpler clothes and not flaunting costly accessories is forcing his team and accomplices to do the same. He would not mind it so much earlier, but now he takes note and at times, would rebuke them. Even as Rahul is building his own team, with a mix of young and old, their task is well cut out. It's no longer everyone-does-everything any more. Each member has a precise task and has been asked to stick to it.
How much credit should be given to the PR team for Rahul's metamorphosis? The Congress team insists this is no PR makeover, but just the real Rahul standing out finally. Will he succeed? Gujarat polls will stand a testament.
'PATIENT LISTENER'
- According to Rahul team, his tweets are funnier
- He is far more accessible, has become a patient listener, they say
- He is comfortable in handling awkward questions
- His team insists that his 'metamorphosis' is not a PR makeover
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 "Rahul Gandhi")
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