It’s amazing how the “yuvraj” of the “Kingdom of India”, Rahul Gandhi, has picked up the patronizing tone that characterizes the old guard within the Congress party. That, combined with an enduring sense of self-righteous entitlement, makes up a wicked combination that I’d rather not see in a person who has aspirations to govern a democracy.

Just the other day, Rahul baba spoke in glowing terms about Dr. Manmohan Singh. Fair enough, I say. But because it was an election rally in Punjab, Rahul Gandhi went a step further to massage the collective Sikh ego…

They call our prime minister weak, the lion of Punjab, who has earned a name to the country in the world. I have not seen a weak Sikh in my life,’ Gandhi told an election rally at Barnala.
[Source: ANI report]<

Amit Varma rightly points out the patronizing nature of that assertion. I wonder why that kind of patronizing tone is made use of around the election time. I wonder, indeed!

A couple of days later, Rahul Gandhi is at it again… this time in P Chidambaram’s constituency, Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu. At an election rally, Rahul said…

“We have given thousands of crores of rupees for the development of Tamil Nadu. The Central government’s first decision was to sanction setting up of a desalination plant in the state.”

Referring to his visits to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the Congress leader said he will visit Tamil Nadu regularly after the elections.
[Source: IANS report]

Rahul makes the government’s allocation of funds to Tamil Nadu seem like a dole… a mere handout. And which self-respecting Tamizh would, I wonder, be impressed by Rahul Gandhi’s promise that he would visit the state regularly after the elections!? If that is not patronizing, I wonder what is!

The fact that Rahul Gandhi is a young upcoming politician is a good thing. We definitely want more of those, though I’d much rather prefer a young upcoming politician who’s not in politics just because of the family name. But if Rahul Gandhi continues to live under the delusions that his is a blue-blooded lineage that reserves the right to “rule” the country, he would continue being patronizing and shallow.

Quit being patronizing, Rahul! Wake up and smell the filter coffee!

Priyanka Gandhi had a loquacious Sunday. I mean, she took issue with Narendra Modi on his budhiya/gudiya statements. She hinted at entering active electoral politics at some time in the future. She endorsed Rahul Gandhi’s qualifications as a future(?) Prime Ministerial candidate (incidentally, Amit Varma’s “open letter” to Priyanka Gandhi hits the nail on the head, on this issue). She was also quoted as saying that she wanted to see her brother Rahul Gandhi as a “bridegroom before he becomes the Prime Minister of the country”.

Hmm… quite a loving, playful remark by a sister about her kid brother. Even though it is a presumptuous statement, I don’t think it should be a cause for controversy.

The reason that I posted about this remark is that it somehow (some lateral mental association at work) reminded me of the fabled remark by Shivaji’s lieutenant Tanaji Malusare when he was setting out to capture the Sinhagad fort (then known as Kondana), in the midst of his son Raiba’s wedding festivities. When the wedding guests tried to persuade him to leave after the wedding was over, he famously said (in Marathi) “Aadhi lagin Kondanyache, mag lagin Raibache!“… which translates to “First let me marry off Kondana, only then we will proceed with Raiba’s wedding”. Tanaji then went on to scale the fort with a handful of Marathas and laid down his life in winning the fort for Shivaji.

As I said, some random lateral association in my mind, that’s all!