Make way for Priyanka

Last week some friends and I decided to list down the worst conspiracy theories we had heard before this election season. The list included the usual rubbish like "Rahul Gandhi isn't getting married because he's homosexual" and "AAP is a Congress front meant to weaken the BJP". The scariest and most disturbing conspiracy theories however were "The BJP are going to announce Mr. Vajpayee's passing to gain sympathy votes before the election" and that "Priyanka isn't campaigning because she wants Rahul to lose and clear the way for Vadra". Both have been proven inaccurate, though the latters campaigning has left me a little disappointed.

I was always one of those people who thought that Priyanka was probably the smartest of the Gandhis. Her lack of being in the public eye usually meant jokes didn't go beyond questioning how lucky a man of Vadra's fancy dress costumes managed to end up with her. In her limited public appearances she seemed to have thought her opinion through unlike Rahul whose brain seemed to be playing Scrabble and making words on the spot without context. I figured if we were forced to live with the dynasty she seemed like the most palatable option.

Perhaps it is because there is no other option in election season, but we're now sure she's cut from the same political cloth. This means excellent things for the Congress, who seemed to be desperately missing a fiery, no holds barred campaigner to reinvigorate their dejected cadre. Ofcourse she would disagree with every charge against Robert Vadra. Ofcourse she would spite Smriti Irani as a rival candidate. Ofcourse she would make grandiose comments against the oppositions ideology as is expected. What I didn't expect was her to campaign for a week and then say with a straight face that she doesn't want to be a part of politics. That statement means nothing in isolation but as a signal it means she's just another politician willing to trade barbs back and forth instead of talking about policy and do what one can to protect the family legacy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the expectations that we people had as her being a relative outsider who might be better off than the usual political class are now completely unfounded.

Despite her insistence that she doesn't want to enter politics, she already has. I doubt the Congress will be able to use her as a trump card every five years any longer. She is as ingrained as anyone else and if there's anything we would have learnt from this election season, it is that. Also Mr Vadra's commendable love for pink pants.