Considering the fact that Rahul Gandhi has refused to apologise, or even express regret for his utterances against people with the surname Modi, how did he expect to be provided relief against his conviction in court? He has, instead, insisted on ‘standing by his comment’, as he claims to be committed to the truth. That is nothing but a reiteration of what he has said. It is not so much defamation as hate speech, to understand which one need only substitute the word ‘Modis’ with ‘Jews’. A similar allegation against the latter in any western country would lead to immediate dismissal from one’s job and social ostracisation.
So, why is Rahul persisting with a strategy that is painting him into an even tighter corner? If it is to seem a martyr in the eyes of the people, it is certainly not succeeding, as ‘suicide’ is not ‘martyrdom’. He is obviously being misguided by his advisors, more accurately sycophants who are interested only in reinforcing Rahul Gandhi’s misconceptions about himself. It is pathetic to see his legal advisors making arguments on his behalf such as – ‘speeches made during political campaigns cannot be defamatory’. In fact, if some politicians could have their way, they would instigate the most violent behaviour among supporters to win an election. Election time is when speech has to be even more strictly regulated than usual.
Rahul Gandhi cannot be blamed for his sense of entitlement. His affectation comes from his singular position as the scion of India’s most powerful political dynasty and having never had anybody saying him nay. He has little familiarity with living a normal life – even the British Royals serve in the Armed Forces or other occupations to gain some experience and humility. Even when ousted from Amethi, he found a safe haven in Wayanad without much effort. Under the present circumstances, particularly as his party’s prime ministerial candidate, he needs top-grade advisors and mentors. Unfortunately, the Congress retains in its top ranks only the detritus of past glory. Compare this to Arvind Kejriwal, who – with nothing like Rahul’s advantages – has accumulated a cohort of able colleagues, many with the capability even to take his position. As a CM, for instance, Bhagwant Mann has displayed greater maturity.
Should the Congress win in Karnataka, the sycophants are likely to make the situation worse by claiming that it is due to Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, and the Bharat Jodo Yatra – no harm in that, except Rahul should be the last to believe it! He needs a dose of reality and, perhaps, a stint in jail would do him a lot of good – distancing him for some time from his advisors.
