The spectacle in Varanasi - the divya and bhavya inauguration of the Kashi-Vishwanath Corridor blending a heady brew of Glorious Past and Fantastic Future - is finally over. Till another dazzling tamasha is organised to distract the citizen from mundane problems of bread - forget the butter - and other sundry concerns about how to survive lynching or jail without bail on trumped-up charges, we are free to meditate or contemplate whatever strikes our fancy.
Under normal circumstances, at this time of the year, one would be engrossed in seasonal festivities celebrating Christmas and trying to cheerfully usher in the New Year. But the circumstances are not normal and only those in total denial of reality can be optimistic.
For a change, the cause for our despair is not the authoritarian government in power but the cussedness of what is often referred to as the dynasty that claims to lead the largest party in opposition. Why can't the members of the family, who have reduced a once Grand Old Party to a 'Mom, Son and Daughter Shop', see the writing on the wall, pack up their bags and vacate the leadership space for someone more competent? The myth of the charisma of the Nehru-Gandhi clan has long been busted.
It's not only the repeated electoral failures but also the blunders galore of RaGa and Ms Vadra that have destroyed Indian National Congress (INC) as a political party beyond any hope of redemption and done irreparable damage to the secular social fabric of India. The antics of the siblings to peddle soft Hindutva to break into the BJP vote bank are pathetic. One day we encounter a janeu-dhari practicing Hindu, the next day the gotra is flaunted to add weight to the claim.
Once projecting the image of an Angry Young Man, Rahul Gandhi has turned into a tired-frustrated middle-aged man before our eyes whose endless cosmetic makeovers are doomed efforts at repackaging a product that is long past its expiry date. Priyanka, many once thought, resembled and evoked the memories of her grandmother - the redoubtable Indira Gandhi - but the majority of the Indian population - under 30 - has not even a hazy recollection of that distant past.
And, Past, as has been aptly observed, is another country. The sister can speak in Awadhi dialect but PM Modi can address his mesmerised audiences with equal fluency in many more bolis with greater aplomb.
The insecurity of the duo has resulted in the exodus of younger leaders (condemned forever to second-tier). Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada may be compared disparagingly as rodents deserting a sinking ship by those standing on the burning deck but none can deny that people have lost interest in the wrecked boat’s inevitable disappearance underwater.
It serves no purpose to point fingers at other dynasts - Naveen Patnaik, Akhilesh Yadav, MK Stalin, Omar Abdullah, Uddhav Thackeray, et al. Let us not forget that all of them have served or are serving as chief ministers in large states and endured the ordeal by fire as hands-on administrators.
Not without flaws and failures maybe but none has tried to rule the roost with power without responsibility. One could have added Sachin Pilot to this list if he was not denied his due in Rajasthan to keep the trusted retainer in the driving seat.
Keeping the spotlight sharply focused on Rahul has only exposed the numerous chinks in his armour. His lack of academic or professional qualifications and experience is embarrassing in contrast. Admonishing straying members of a steadily dwindling flock has made matters worse.
Jairam Ramesh, Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Kapil Sibal are glaringly marginalised in favour of the likes of Kamal Nath and Salman Khurshid. Navjot Singh Sidhu took the ‘High Command’ for a right royal ride and forced Captain Sahib to land into BJP’s lap.
Rumblings of dissent are no longer distant thunder. Ghulam Nabi Azad and his supporters are bristling and another 'senior leader', Harish Rawat, is left alone to lick his wounds suffered in Punjab. It all began with Rahul Gandhi's arrogance and ignorance that gifted Assam to the BJP. But all that is now water under the bridge. The misplaced sense of entitlement to rule and lead by birthright has made this family a laughing stock.
Sycophants may continue to shout themselves hoarse about sacrifices that the Nehru-Gandhis have made but no one is listening to pains of praise that is more and more sounding like a dirge.
To some, these words may sound unduly harsh and unkind to the vanquished. Often enough are we reminded of the duty to Speak to those in Power. It is equally important to talk to those who have lost power and can’t be reasonably expected to regain power. The Phoenix we can't afford to forget is a mythical creature. The INC can keep waiting till eternity but is not likely to rise from its ashes.
(The writer is a former professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University and can be reached at pushpeshpant@gmail.com)