Is Rahul Gandhi a public perception disaster – for himself and for the Congress?
So much so, that Hindi news channels ignored him to focus on ‘Don Atiq’ Ahmed (Times Now NavbharatSunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Do they rate his ability to interest viewers in the Hindi belt so poorly, that his conviction for defamation, his disqualification from the Lok Sabha, and the ‘storm’ inside and outside Parliament over it, could not rival the charms of the ‘gangster’ (Republic Bharat) in their breaking news or debates?
Atiq Ahmed “feeling sick” during his journey to the Nainital jail from the Sabarmati jail, and his inability to sleep at night in the police van (Zee News) elicited more sympathetic coverage than 17 opposition political parties’ show of strength in Delhi, Monday, against ‘the end of democracy’. As they marched in unison outside Parliament, Hindi news channels chased after Atiq’s ‘kafila’; while opposition leaders, led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, made dire pronouncements about democratic values, Adani’s business, and Rahul’s disqualification from Parliament, Hindi reporters interviewed Atiq’s sister Aisha. That’s the importance they gave him.
Before you claim that Hindi news channels intentionally blacked out Congress-opposition protests by saying so, keep in mind that English news channels have shined the spotlight on Rahul Gandhi, Congress and other opposition parties since last Thursday. Does that mean only the likes of the (in)famous ‘Lutyens’ Delhi’ — the English-walas — are interested in Rahul’s ‘Disqualification Dangal’ (India Today)?
If it’s true that viewers in Hindi-speaking states are indifferent to Rahul ji & Co., then it spells an even bigger disaster for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha election with about 225 seats from Hindi-speaking states up for grabs. As Elie Wiesel, prolific writer and Holocaust survivor, famously said, “The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.”
How’s that for a gigantic migraine?
Also read: Rahul Gandhi disqualification poses question. Which is the owner of Constitution? Parliament or courts
All about Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi and Congress are not alone in their public perception problems. Another is the fact that Rahul Gandhi’s image is being damaged by incessant media attention. This could be because Congress and he (as well as the other opposition parties) are claiming to be victims of the ruling BJP. They tell their story as follows: The Big Bad Wolf has been hounding them, they say, it has released the investigative agents on us, it’s got us by our necks, democracy is being choked and institutions obstructed, media are being throttled. It may be true that this is what they are saying, but it’s not the end of the story if you play the victim.
People feel sorry. Is that enough to make them vote for your cause? Ahem.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress and our pity are not enough to save their fortunes. They could benefit from a new approach. Here are some suggestions.
First, they need to earn the public’s respect. They’re not going to do that if Rahul Gandhi’s press conference last Saturday is anything to go by: he appeared by turns combative, surly, sulky. He smirked after he felt he put a journalist in his place. This was PR disaster.
That nasty smile took away all of the goodwill he had built during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Second, they need more than a ‘Save Rahul’ campaign to save Indian democracy — which they say is the aim of their protests. The messaging is confused here: Congress spokespersons at TV debates, Congress leaders in sound bytes or interviews speak only about Rahul Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi… Watched P Chidambaram go into the finest combed details of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification on India Today. They and TV news know that Congress is Rahul and Congress is Rahul. But Rahul, however, is not India. So why should viewers be concerned?
At the Congress ‘satyagraha’ on Sunday, which received extensive ‘live’ coverage by English TV news channels, Priyanka Gandhi spoke passionately but mostly about her brother and his sacrifices — how a “martyr’s son” was being silenced, etc. No wonder ABP News called this ‘Rahul ke liye Gandhigiri’.
Isn’t satyagraha a peaceful battle for ideals, not for an individual whose party members violently flung torn pieces of paper at the Lok Sabha speaker, Monday (Sansad TV)?
If the “ugly scenes” in Parliament (Times Now) had been for a larger than life issue of national significance, if Congress had been able to successfully ‘jodo’ Rahul’s conviction-disqualification with the ‘aam aadmi’ and civil liberties, they may have had an impact. Rahul Gandhi? That resonates with you?
Thirdly, opposition parties should find a way to make Gautam Adani’s alleged crimes connect with the public good or let him go. Since the Hindenburg Research’s report in late January, the Congress and other parties have disrupted Parliament demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Adani; they have taken to the streets on Adani. The most common headline on news channels for the last month has been ‘Parliament adjourned on Adani’. We have heard Congress chant ‘Adani, Adani Adani’ right after ‘Rahul, Rahul, Rahul’.
Have you heard a public outcry against Adani – or for that matter, on Rahul Gandhi’s behalf? Have the streets filled with anti-corruption crusaders as they did in 2010’s Jan Lokpal movement? No.
Why not? There’s been more than adequate coverage so Congress and the Opposition cannot claim the media ignores them. Here’s the thing: It’s not the medium but the message that’s the problem.
Perhaps, Rahul Gandhi should have said he abided by the law, let his lawyers fight the defamation conviction and earned more goodwill by talking about issues he successfully raised during the Bharat Jodo Yatra — a great public relation exercise (literally!). These were issues that directly affected the public everywhere he went during his padyatra.
Rahul Gandhi had a golden opportunity to transcend the petty politics of Lok Sabha and become a stateman. He instead played himself. He and Congress had the opportunity to discuss their vision of India, in which the individual is not compared against the institutions.
Instead, they’re talking only about Rahul Gandhi…
Views are personal.