Elections 2014: In Amethi, Kumar Vishwas changes political conversations
Close on the heels of the much-anticipated 2014 Lok Sabha elections, not-so-conventional politicians Kumar Vishwas of AAP and Smriti Irani of the BJP may not be giving Rahul Gandhi sleepless nights, but they are definitely changing the conversation, according to the scroll.in.
Rahul Gandhi’s two colourful challengers in this election are poet-politician Kumar Vishwas of the Aam Aadmi Party and TV bahu-turned-parliamentarian Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party. They are certainly geared up to give a tough fight to the scion of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty.
Congress, in power for the last decade, is struggling in opinion polls with a string of corruption scandals and a reputation for poor governance engulfing its administration.
The Aam Aadmi (Common Man's) Party, a neophyte anti-corruption party, appear to have a stranglehold on public opinion.
Rahul Gandhi has much to prove but aides say he has thrust himself into the centre of the campaign, launching a series of moves to clean up the 128-year-old Congress party and stem the slide in its fortunes.
In 2004 and 2009, it was largely a PR blitz for the first family, with crowds, rose petals and cameras lovingly trailing Priyanka Gandhi as she made her way from village to village oozing charm in tasteful handloom saris. This time around, Rahul’s combative opponents will also be traipsing from village to village, not just for votes, but also for mileage in a TV war.
Critics say Gandhi has depended on his family name for power, that he is too lightweight and has barely registered his presence in parliament although he has been a member for the last decade.
The man who possibly has an answer for every question-Kumar Vishwas began his election campaign three months ago, has already raised the bar for what can be said about a Gandhi in Amethi. His attacks are neither veiled nor respectful. He makes a point of mentioning that Sonia Gandhi went abroad to have her illness treated, not trusting Indian doctors and raking up huge bills. Who paid for them, he repeatedly asked his audience, pretending not to hear, until someone loudly says,“Janata ne diya." The public did.
The new AAP, which formed the government in Delhi state after local elections last month, appears to have the lock on the anti-corruption and clean governance platform.
Hundreds of people from students to business executives are flocking to the party, inspired by its promise to clean up politics and the symbols of power that ordinary Indians have come to detest.
Along with his jibes on corruption and dynastic rule, Vishwas also raises laughter with salty allusions to Rahul, laced with chauvinism and double entendre. For example, he sometimes tells his audience that while he himself has taken up a home in Amethi and lives there with his wife, Rahul, who stays in a guesthouse when in Amethi, has neither a “ghar” nor a “gharwali” (house or wife). "Gharwali to vyaktigat mamla hai,” he continues impudently, “aap ki vyaktigat shamtaon par nirbhar hai ke aap pa sake ke nahi pa sake. Kisi ne aap ko is yogya samjha ke nahi samjha ke aap ko ladki ki zimmedari di ja sake… Kissi ne unko bahu nahi di, aap ne unko bahumat diya.” Never mind, getting a wife depends on your personal capacity, whether anyone thinks you are capable of handling the responsibility of a woman... Nobody gave him a wife, and then you went and gave him a majority.
Vishwas is quite a sight for the placid rural roads of Amethi walking in his colourful shirts and sleeveless jackets, his hair flopping carelessly over his forehead.
One morning last week he attracted crowds of about 500 at each of his corner meetings. Driving through the same places later, it seemed he had won more hearts than votes, and sowed some confusion too. “Pata nahi kaun the, topi de ke chale gaye," said a bewildered old man in an Aam Aadmi Party cap riding a bicycle. I don’t know who they were. They gave me a cap and went away.
While many ardent admirers of Vishwas’ oratory said they would still vote for Congress, there were a handful of young AAP converts, young men like Mohammad Salim, who declared,“After he spoke about dynasty and corruption, I understood everything."
Amethi also shows few traces of the euphoria one would associate with a prime ministerial candidate’s constituency, which is perhaps a silent acknowledgement of a changing world beyond its borders. The frequent invocations of, “Yahan Congress ka zor hai", the Congress is strong here, have a tired feel to them.
Even Rahul’s cousin and political rival Varun, fighting on a BJP ticket from Pilibhit, appears to be mindful of the potency of the Gandhi name in these parts.
He has been reported to be talking more about his Gandhi connection than with his leader Narendra Modi.
With the elections round the corner, only the results will define Amethi’s definition of a strong candidate.
