Genghis Khan is possibly Asia’s biggest empire-maker of all time. The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history. For such a brutal conqueror—Genghis slaughtered the entire population of Samarkand and made towers out of their skulls—he was vastly enlightened. In 1206, the emperor wrote, “Let us reward our female offspring”—the Women Representation Bill would’ve been passed in his court in the blink of a Tartar eyelid. One woman rewarded thus was his daughter Altani, who was named a “Hero”, an honour given to great warriors and politicians. She received it for saving her brother Tolui’s life.
Seven centuries later, an Indian Altani has stepped in to save her brother’s political existence. Priyanka Gandhi is the final card up the Congress sleeve, which it hopes would trump the BJP ace Narendra Modi who is working up a lather in Uttar Pradesh. They believe she need not even contest—her charisma alone would win Uttar Pradesh over. She is the contemporary cartographer of the Gandhi lineage; warning cousin Varun that the election is an ideological war and not a family tea party. Currently, the family epic is a karma cocktail—Varun as Karna in the Mahabharata; Priyanka as Altani in Amethi; and Sonia as a new Olympias of Macedonia, who had inspired son Alexander to build an empire that stretched from Illyria to Egypt and India to Kazakhstan.
But Rahul is no Alexander. He is like a younger prince low in the succession chain, who would rather lead a laidback life, away from the grueling responsibilities of furthering an inheritance in backstabbing backrooms and dusty domains. On Priyanka’s slender shoulders rests the burden of resurrection. But the Congress, which had been clamouring for her entry into politics, changed tack. “Robert Vadra would be a liability,” leaders whispered, though Modi had promised there would be no witch-hunt against the Mughal of Moradabad. “Priyanka’s candidature would boost Modi’s importance, turning the conflict for Kasi into this election’s stellar struggle,” muttered others—as if the saffron sultan needed more publicity. Ironysmiths pointed out that Priyanka would overshadow Rahul, though many candidates privately say a Rahul speech would adversely affect their chances. An unspoken but horrifying prospect confronted the Congress—what if the meditating Buddhist Priyanka lost to the Hindu nationalist Modi? What if Modi defeats the girl hailed as this century’s Indira Gandhi? What if the natural heir to Congress empress drowns in the Modi wave? It is a chance the Congress is unwilling to take because the party is not playing for 2014, but for the war of 2019.
Priyanka is Sonia’s ace troubleshooter and Rahul’s campaign manager, nursing his constituency and handling its people. In 2009, the Congress under Rahul won 21 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, crowning him as the Resurrectionist. In the 2002 Assembly polls, Priyanka had campaigned in the family pocket boroughs, where the Congress won seven seats against its earlier tally of two. But in 2013, she could manage only five or five.
The future is a misty Tarot card for Rahul and the Congress. He may slowly fade into political vanaprastha if Modi wins and implements his development agenda. Nevertheless, it would be unwise to mock the mystique of the Nehru-Gandhi Empire. A groundbreaking 2003 study proves that one in 200 men is Genghis Khan’s direct descendant. In just a decade between 1999 and 2009, the political descendants of the dynasty’s DNA have increased—the Congress party’s vote share is up to 28.6 per cent in 10 years. It may be gasping for breath, but the dynasty is alive and well. 2019 may not belong to Rahul, but to Priyanka Gandhi.
ravi@ newindianexpress.com