Instead, Sonia entered the fray with her political message to push away not Modi but her own party men's electoral tactics. Her speechwriters went to extremes when they wrote, 'So many of my brothers and sisters are terrorised by government-protected goons here. Sachchayee yeh hai ki aj Gujarat ki sarkar chalane wale jhoothe, beimaan aur dharm aur maut ke saudagar hain (The truth is that the men driving the Gujarat government are liars, and merchants of religion and death).'
On Ground Zero, by mid-November, Modi had turned the battle -- a battle less political than emotional, a battle less caste-oriented than about idol-worshipping, a battle more about personalities than issues. Then the mighty Congress president flew into the rural and tribal areas of the overcharged state to attack him. But she flew back with total confusion in her wake.
In fact, after the first phase of the election campaign, local Congress leaders were agonising: 'Madam is addressing the Congress constituency outside Gujarat.'
Thus, the Congress not only failed to put up an idol, but they also failed to counter Modi with an ideology it claims to believe in.
Lack of regional generals in battle
Sonia, who represents the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, may be the only adhesive for warring Congress factions in New Delhi, but 'Madam' -- as the rank and file of her party call her -- and her son Rahul have inherent limitations as leaders. It is beyond doubt she enjoys the genuine respect of party workers at the village level, more so after her 'sacrificing' the prime minister's post after the 2004 general election. But her 'touch and go' style of campaigning doesn't have enduring impact. In comparison, the regional satraps of non-Congress parties promise vibrant futures in the vernacular language and the local idiom.
After Gujarat 2007, Sonia needs an urgent SWOT analysis of her own and Rahul's leadership qualities. Arjun Modhawadia, leader of the Congress legislature party, said, "If we had won, it would have been only because of Madam Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi." He may not agree, but by that logic, the huge defeat should be also credited to her.
Also read: Rahul's roadshow
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