Wayanad: “People will see me (Indira Gandhi) in her and remember me when they see her (Priyanka Gandhi). She will shine and the next century will be hers. Then people will forget me”— That’s what the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, had told Makhan Lal Fotedar, one of her trusted aides and her political secretary from 1980 to 1984. Fotedar had quoted Gandhi as saying so in his 2015 memoir, The Chinar Leaves. According to the memoir, Gandhi had predicted Priyanka’s rise in politics in 1984, about a month before her assassination.
In 2017, Fotedar also passed away. But several years later, these words are worth recalling and may seem to be a prophecy with the potential of being the truth as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra filed her nomination for the Lok Sabha bypoll in Wayanad, Kerala on Wednesday to make her debut in the electoral contest and give an added impetus to the Congress’ campaign against the BJP in south India. The bypoll was necessitated after Congress leader and Priyanka’s brother, Rahul Gandhi, resigned from the seat, which he had won during the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Since Indian laws don’t allow an MP to hold two offices simultaneously, Rahul decided to give up on Wayanad and continued to represent Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli—a constituency that he had also won in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The Indira in Priyanka: Not just in looks or oratory; both made similar choices
From an early age, political analysts have often pointed to Priyanka’s resemblance to her grandmother. They have drawn parallels between Indira Gandhi and Priyanka for the latter’s political acumen and flair for engaging with people.
Such comparisons have often been appreciated by people. For instance, in 2023, when Priyanka was addressing a rally in Telangana, every time she talked about Congress bringing ‘Indiramma Rajyam’ into the state, it drew loud applause and cheers from the people. Besides similarities in the oratory and physical appearances of the two, they also share a resemblance in their political choices.
Reports claim that when Indira Gandhi was asked by the Congress party to contest the 1952 election, she was hesitant. Indira didn’t fight the polls back then because Rajiv and Sanjay—her sons—were too young. Priyanka, too, stayed away from contesting elections because of her children. But, both kept working for Congress and bolstered its campaign. When the time was ripe, they stormed into the electoral fray.
Nomination isn’t her political debut, Priyanka has been Congress’ ‘crisis manager’
She may have entered the electoral scene now, but politics isn’t an uncharted territory for her. She had supported Congress time and again and nurtured Amethi and Rae Bareli for both her mother Sonia Gandhi and Rahul for years by taking part in election campaigns. She was actively involved in the election campaigns of Sonia Gandhi in the late 1990s. In 2004, when Rahul Gandhi joined active politics, she campaigned for her brother.
She had also accompanied her father, Rajiv Gandhi, when he toured his constituency. In one of his interviews, Rajiv Gandhi reportedly said Priyanka had the ‘instinct of a politician.’
राजनीति में महिलाओं की भागीदारी हो, रोजगार के अवसर, शिक्षा, या सामाजिक सुरक्षा—@priyankagandhi जी नें हर मंच पर महिलाओं की आवाज बुलंद की है।
संसद में उनके प्रवेश से आधी आबादी को अपने अधिकारों और न्याय की दिशा में एक मजबूत प्रतिनिधित्व मिलेगा। pic.twitter.com/zL7DH5UIm8
— All India Mahila Congress (@MahilaCongress) October 20, 2024
Her official debut into politics was ahead of the 2019 general election when she was put in charge of the Congress campaign in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. In 2019, she was appointed Congress general secretary and since then has been overseeing the party’s campaigns in many state elections.
She reportedly played a crucial role in stabilising the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh earlier this year where the party was facing internal feud and rebellion by its own MLAs.
Will Parliament see Sushma Swaraj-Manmohan Styled Poetic Verbal Duels Again?
If Priyanka wins Wayanad, her entry into Parliament may strengthen the voice of Opposition in the Parliament further. The 2024 Lok Sabha campaign had witnessed Priyanka coming across as someone with swift and sharp rebuttals against the BJP’s allegations. Priyanka, unlike Rahul, is fluent in colloquial Hindi. Her presence in the Parliament may reignite the spirit of debate and powerful rhetoric. Analysts also believe that her oratory style could bring back memories of the Sushma Swaraj era of Parliamentary debates. Sushma Swaraj was involved in some memorable verbal duels with Manmohan Singh, as both leaders drew upon verses–from Mirza Ghalib to Bashir Badr–and wit to take on each other. Such a comparison comes into the picture considering Priyanka’s fluency in Hindi and interest in Hindi literature.
Imagine the how sweet urdu language is even politicians use Urdu while delivering their speech in the Parliament and giving the reference of urdu poetry. Please watch RIP Sushma Swaraj Ji speech clip. pic.twitter.com/yAWh99XSyd
— Osman Ali (@OsmanMusafir) June 29, 2024
In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2009, Priyanka revealed that she spent a lot of her time in childhood with the mother of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and wife of noted Hindi poet, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Teji Bachchan, and credited her proficiency in Hindi to the latter. She had revealed how Teji would give her all the poems and books of her husband that she admired. Recently, she also recalled Harivansh Rai’s lines on her father’s death anniversary on social media platforms.
