Him, next. Seriously ?

Everyone has a right to dream. To dream big. To dream stupid.

Everything was going fine. In its history of 63 years till 2014, India witnessed rule of one dynasty for 53 years. (To the uninitiated, ruling doesn’t necessarily mean the dynasty occupying the proverbial chair all the time. It suffices, very often, to have puppets on a string). The lesser mortals somehow squeezed in for 10 years. The year 2014 put a big spanner in the dynasty’s wheels. Modi emerged on the national scene. Like with transient Morarji Desai, Chaudhary Charan Singh, V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral, the dynasty thought this too shall pass. The coronation of the crown-prince was rescheduled. But the fate had different plans. Come 2019, Modi improved his tally. The dynasty’s frustration was compounded and the crown-prince started opening his mouth wider only to put his foot in it. Later, encouraged by the disappointing response to Modi’s battle-cry of “Abki baar, char sau paar” (over 400 parliamentary seats this time) in the general elections of 2024, the crown-prince dipped into his dodgy knowledge of Hindu scriptures (Mahabharata, included) and announced that Ashwathama hataha (Ashwathama, Guru Dronacharya’s son, had died). The Dhristadyumna in him (representing the Kauravas) started looking for opportunities that were actually not yet there. Much to his chagrin, it was kunjaroava (an elephant with the same name) that had died. Piecing together the numbers, Modi was back in the saddle, riding and collecting trophies through electoral victories in a host of states subsequently. 

The crown-prince went berserk. He started questioning the integrity of national institutions. Harboring a persecution complex, he started bad-mouthing every government agency. He ran down the country’s military. Ill-advised by his courtiers, he started hobnobbing with those known for their anti-India positions. His juvenile comments on polity, economy, judiciary, religion and geo-political issues became commonplace. With the chances for a coronation dashed, his visceral hatred for Modi unwittingly turned into hatred for India.  

Whilst deliberating on a highly unlikely scenario of revival of the dynasty (unless the American deep state including, but not limited to, CIA, Soros and Trump comes to its rescue), the country needs to ask itself if it deserves a cerebrally-challenged person at the helm of affairs who doesn’t believe in India (outside of the electoral politics) and its institutions but, quixotically, wants to rule it.

The cherry-picker.

 Seneca the Younger (a Roman philosopher) had stated that “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful”. For all it may be worth, one needs to know as to where does one come from. This includes one’s religion too. To most of us, religion gives an anchor. It strings us to a shared history, values and beliefs. A lot has been speculated about Rahul’s religion. Let’s explore.  

Feroze Jehangir Ghandy was his grandfather, and he was not a Muslim as is often rumored. He wasn’t a Hindu either. Feroze, a good man as the history tells us, was born to a Parsi (Zoroastrian) family. He married Indira Nehru in 1942 according to Adi Dharm Hindu rituals. Adi Dharm refers to Brahmo Samaj which separated from Sanatan Dharm, does not believe in idolatry (worship of images, idols etc.), doesn’t revere scriptures (Vedas, granths etc.) and doesn’t acknowledge distinctions (caste, creed etc.). There is no evidence that Feroze converted to Hinduism at any stage in his life. In fact, his ashes were interred at a Parsi cemetery in Prayagraj. To sum up, a Parsi man (Feroze) married a Hindu woman (Indira) and had two sons. Which religion did the sons belong to. Those who believe that the children of mixed marriages are non-negotiably denied entry into Zoroastrianism would be well-advised to refer to relevant passages in the original hymns of Zarathushtra, the Gathas. But the political expediency prompted that the sons call themselves Hindus. The elder son (Rajiv) married a Catholic (Sonia / born Antonia Maino) in 1968 in a Hindu ceremony. Sonia never converted to Hinduism and remains a Christian. (Kapil Sibal, an eminent lawyer & a Congress leader confirmed this fact to the Bombay High Court whilst arguing a case). Which religion does Rahul belong to. The political prompts came in to play again. Born to grandparents Feroze (a Parsi) & Indira (a Hindu) and parents Rajiv (religion unverified) & Sonia (a Christian) he calls himself a Hindu. A janeu-dhaari Brahmin at that, as claimed emphatically by one of his political mates.

Feroze Ghandy is believed to have changed his surname to Gandhi during his initial days in politics as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Interestingly, Rahul (as also his entire family) conveniently took to Feroze’s (adopted) surname but abandoned his Parsi religion. Why ? To leverage the political equity of the surname Gandhi and to capitalize on the majority of Hindus.

Not an Indian in India.

Shuddh desi  Pinocchio :  “He (Trump) is right. Everybody knows this except the PM and the FM. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that the President Trump has stated the fact. Why are you asking this question”. In August-2025,  whilst speaking to journalists, he echoed a foolish comment by Donald Trump (President of USA) that the Indian economy is dead. Let’s make some allowance for the inability of both to understand basic numbers. India’s GDP grew at 6.5% (World: 3.2%) in 2024, logging the highest growth rate among the top economies globally. Whilst contributing 8.5 % to the World GDP, India also accounted for 11% of the accretional GDP of the world in 2024. Only to belittle two of the world’s top economists i.e., Trump and Rahul, S&P Global Ratings (an American credit rating agency) recently, in August-2025, upgraded India’s long-term rating to BBB a first in the last 18 years. Dead economy? Sure.

Apun jhukega nahi sa… :  “My name is not Savarkar. My name is Gandhi. Gandhi kisi se maafi nahi maangta (Gandhi(s) don’t apologize to anyone)” that’s what he had said whilst addressing a press conference in March-2023. The tone & tenor sounded amusingly similar to Allu Arjun’s famous dialogue “Apun jhukega nahi sa…” in the movie Pushpa released in 2021. Let’s rewind. A postage stamp commemorating Veer Savarkar, a freedom fighter revered by the country, was released in 1970 by the UPA government led by Rahul’s grandmother. The airport at Port Blair was named after him in 2002 and his portrait was unveiled in 2023 in the Indian parliament by the NDA governments.  A leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), a Rahul ally now, had demanded that Savarkar should be awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously. In 2022, Rahul made a disrespectful comment on the same Veer Savarkar saying that he was a “British servant” who received a pension from the colonial government. The Supreme Court came down heavily on him for his objectionable remarks without knowing the history and also warned him of suo motu action if he repeated the comments. The statement certainly wasn’t out of ignorance. He knew what he was talking about. The underlying intention was to try and taint the non-Congress leadership of the freedom movement.

The world against me: Rahul has certainly not heard of Samuel Jhonson (a British writer) who had famously said that “Slander is the revenge of a coward, and dissimulation of his defence.” A defamation case was lodged against him over his insults to Veer Savarkar during his visit to London in March-2023. He also made a juvenile remark: “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”, was disqualified as MP and sentenced to two years in prison. Another defamation case was registered against him in 2019 for his remark on the BJP-RSS over late journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder. In 2019 a case was filed against him for referring to Amit Shah as a “murder accused” during a campaign speech. A bank in Ahmedabad filed a defamation case against him 2018 for his remarks in connection with demonetization. In 2018 a defamation complaint was filed against him for his “commander-in-thief” remark targeting the Prime Minister during the Rafale controversy. Yet another defamation case was filed against him in 2014 for allegedly linking the RSS with Mahatma Gandhi’s killing. In 2022, a complaint was made against him for his statement defaming Indian army. Many of the defamation cases against him are pending courts’ decision and he is out on bail in a few of them.  Attaching motives, he claims a pattern in drowning him with defamation cases, conveniently forgetting his own irresponsible statements. This is his shoot and scoot strategy.  To dig up issues, present distorted versions, create unsubstantiated controversies, extract short-term advantage and, when confronted in the courts, cry himself hoarse on freedom of speech or claim misinterpretation of his words.   

Wages of valor & kickbacks of sacrifices: Why would a sane person want to undermine the reputation of his own country’s armed forces that protect him. Ask Rahul. Even the worst from amongst us, would want to downplay Achilles heel, if any, of its military in expression of gratitude towards their sacrifices. Rahul claimed that the Chinese army had occupied 2,000 square km of Indian territory and was “thrashing” Indian soldiers at Galwan valley in 2020. Tentativeness personified, he changed this figure to 4,000 and, later, to 44,000 whilst speaking at various forums. These statements led to a defamation complaint against him in the Allahabad High Court which declined to quash the complaint. He was forced to appeal to the Supreme Court. Hearing the appeal in August-2025, the Supreme Court questioned the credibility and the basis of his statements. As pained as the rest of the country, the court remarked “If you are a true Indian, you would not say all this.” The Court also questioned as to why he (a parliamentarian) would not place these claims in the parliament instead of on social media or public forums. By indulging in anti-military rhetoric in public, he wanted to weaken India by weakening the institution that has valiantly protected India’ territorial integrity and which India takes great pride in. Coming from the leader of a party whose member had called Indian soldiers goondas, this is not surprising.

 Naach-gaana in Bhagwan Ram Mandir: According to Rahul, the Pran Pratistha of the Bhagwan Ram temple in Ayodhya was a naach-gaana (song & dance) event. He had commented “They invited Amitabh Bachchan, Adani, Ambani and other celebrities. Was there a single farmer there? Or a labourer? There was just a dance going on”. One couldn’t have expected differently. Way back in 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru had suspended K.K. Nair (the then District Magistrate of Ayodhya) who declined to follow Nehru’s orders to expel Hindus from the Mandir complex and remove the idol. It was the government puppeteered by the dynasty that had told the Supreme Court in September-2007 that there was no historical evidence that Bhagwan Ram ever lived. One would recollect that it was a senior Congress leader who represented Sunni Wakf Board and argued against construction of Bhagwan Ram temple. To protect the Congress party from any political backlash from its traditional Muslim vote-bank, the advocate-cum-Congress leader had asked the court to hear the appeals after the general elections, a request which was declined by the court. Softening its anti-Hindu stance, in a gross display of political opportunism to garner Hindu votes in 2019 general elections, the same advocate-cum-Congress leader was told that it would be a “politically sensible decision” that he recuses himself from the case. Later, it was his mother who, as also some other Congress leaders, had declined to attend the inauguration ceremony of Bhagwan Ram Janmabhoomi temple in January-2024 saying that it had become a “political project”. Since caste and geography based electoral constructs curated by his dynasty over the years are getting demolished with every election and a broad-based Hindu nationalism is gaining prominence, Rahul and his courtiers find their favorite punching-bag in Hinduism. 

The Tango in China: In 2008 Rahul entered into a secret MoU between the Congress party and the CCP (Communist Party of China) which practically runs the Chinese government. Guess who all were present. Sonia and Xi Jinping (then Vice President of China). Napolean Bonapart (French General & statesman) had commented that stupidity is not a handicap in politics. But a national party entering into a secret MoU with an enemy country that has fought wars with India and repeatedly opposed it at all international platforms, goes beyond the realm of stupidity. It’s treason, the maximalists may say. CCP supports occupation of Indian territories. Around 1,400 Indian soldiers laid down their lives in the war with China in 1962. The sacrifices continue even today as the forces counter Chinese aggressions along the Line-of-Actual-Control (LAC). But, to Rahul, these sacrifices are just a part of our country’s forgettable history. Interestingly, the MoU was signed in China where besides his mother, also present were his sister and jija-ji as the guests of China. Ostensibly to attend the Olympics. What is there in the Mou. Why Rahul and the Congress party are chary of disclosing its content. Is the secret MoU good in law. Is Mahesh Jethmalani, an eminent lawyer, correct in saying that “China was and is in Indian law, an enemy country. The CCP is an enemy association. The CCP supports the occupation of Indian territory and lays claim to other territory. Any agreement / MoU with the CCP validates the CCP’s stand and is an unlawful activity punishable under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act)”. Another issue that the countrymen are keen to be let in on is if any money was given by China / CCP to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), a family enterprise. The fact that Rahul and the Congress party have maintained total silence over the issue for years, suggests that there is more than what meets the eye. Or is it a case of liang tou chi (Chinese for “wanting to have your cake and eat it too”).

Mommy, he took my candy again: It is defeat which educates, Ralph Waldo Emerson (an American essayist and philosopher) believed. Rahul is not the one to subscribe to the idea. He would rather look for excuses to put his defeats at the doorstep of. Replacing the paper ballots, EVMs were introduced in India in late 1990s and VVPAT-enabled EVMs in 2014. Following the defeats in elections, one after the other, he started questioning the integrity of EVMs. This despite the fact that the Election Commission had organized an open hackathon in 2017 challenging people to hack EVMs. But even invulnerability of EVMs couldn’t give him a reason to introspect. He raised a hue & cry about fake voters in Maharashtra but refused any response when invited for a meeting by the Election Commission in June-2025. Recently, in August-2025, he once again claimed fake additions to the voters lists and attempted to validate his claim by showing the Karnataka electoral rolls. But, when asked by the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka to submit a signed declaration along with full details, he wriggled out by saying “What I say to the people is my word. Take it as an oath. This is their (EC) data, and we are displaying their data.” Why would he avoid signing a declaration if he believes his contention is absolutely true. Ironically, when one of the ministers in his party’s government in Karnataka revealed recently that the fake additions may have taken place during their own tenure, the minister was promptly forced to resign. Rahul’s attempts to find incongruities in the processes adopted by the Election Commission are welcome but is this what he is actually targeting. Certainly, not. He wants to create a lurking doubt about the integrity of elections in India and give out a false impression that the democracy in India stands on compromised foundations. But the Machiavelli in him forgets the fact that the electorate in India has come of age and can clearly see through these machinations. The elections in the last over a decade have witnessed a near-total collapse of the dynastic rule in India.        

Dancing with the enemies: Right from the day of Pahalgam massacre in April-2025, we knew that political slugfest would start even before the mourning period is over. Despite firm statements by the forces to the contrary, Rahul accused the government of lacking political will in its military response against Pakistan and not giving operational freedom to Indian defence forces. One wonders as to where does he source his information from. Operation Sindoor was aimed to avenge brutal killing of 26 civilians by jihadi Islamists and to destroy terror-infrastructure in Pakistan. For Rahul, it certainly wasn’t an occasion to show solidarity with the national government but to win an argument any which way. Another issue that was hyped no end by Rahul and his courtiers was repeated claims of mediation by the President of the USA, another unstable leader with narcissistic traits, to stop the offensive by India against the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan. Operation Sindoor continued for four days from 7^th – 10^th May 2025. The External Affairs Minister made an unequivocal statement on the floor of the parliament (on 28^th July, 2025) that there was no talk between the Prime Minister of India and the President of the USA between 22nd of April and 17th of June, 2025. This should have put to rest all doubts as regards any foreign intervention to stop the offensive but that was not to be. It is obvious that Rahul wants the acrimony between the two countries to compound manifold, rendering the relationship beyond repairs. The objective is to watch which way the cookie crumbles so that he can nibble into a politically convenient piece.

An almost-God: True to his new role as the Leader of Opposition, Rahul opposes the government (on issues both good and bad) and gleefully showcases his antics to his partymen. Exaggeration is understandable but one needs a fair sprinkle of facts whilst cooking up stories. Speaking at a conclave of the Congress party in August-2025, he narrated a story about Arun Jaitley (former Finance Minister) walking up to him one day and threatening him over his position on the Farm Laws (now revoked). Rahul told Jaitley (a la Robert de Nero in the movie Taxi Driver) “I don’t think you know who you are talking to”. Repeat. “I don’t think you have an idea who you are talking to.” Neuro-scientists say truth is easy as it is direct retrieval of memory but lying is mental gymnastics. When performing mental gymnastics, people run the risk of missing out on facts. The drafts of the Farm Bills were placed before the cabinet for the very first time in September-2020. Arun Jaitley had passed away in August-2019 over a year before the drafts of the Bills reached the cabinet. Time to celebrate Rahul, an almost-God, for making a dead man walk.

Certainly not an Indian whilst overseas.

A slightly tweaked quote from Gillian Anderson (an American actress) could aptly define Rahul’s core: “My default is destruction, and anything on top of that is a bloody lot of work”. One wonders as to what is there in the air overseas that brings out the acrimonious worst in him. For one, he surely has friends out there to complement his strategy to pin-prick India’s growth story and sully its image. 

The pilgrimage: Rahul met Ilhan Omar (an American politician) in the USA in September-2024. Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, once God’s gift to India who is royally ignored by the current regime, facilitated the meeting. Who is Ilhan. She is anti-India, a Hindu-phobic, a radical Islamist, an advocate of independent Kashmir, visited Pakistan occupied Kashmir (violating India’s sovereignty over the area) at Pakistan’s invitation, accuses India of human rights abuses (of Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Dalits and Adivasis) and interfered in the investigation into the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In a nutshell, she loves to hate India. Why on earth would Rahul meet her. What, of common interest, could they have possibly discussed knowing her hatred for India. The mysteries of Rahul’s frequent travels to the USA (as also to Vietnam) are yet to unfold.  

Separated at birth: Whilst addressing a gathering in the USA in September-2024, Rahul made a sinister comment whether Sikhs will be allowed to wear turbans or sport a kada or visit a Gurudwara in India. This was, without doubt, a juvenile attempt to earn some laurels from the separatists based out of the USA. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a declared terrorist, was quick to respond that  “Rahul’s statement on ‘existential threat to Sikhs in India’ is not only bold and pioneering but is also firmly grounded in the factual history of what Sikhs have been facing under successive regimes in India since 1947 and also corroborates SFJ’s stance on the justification for Punjab Independence Referendum to establish Sikh homeland Khalistan”. Rahul conveniently forgot that the only time Sikhs ever felt a sense of insecurity was during the period his dynasty ruled and oversaw massacre of over 3,000 innocent Sikhs in 1984.  It would take total lack of intelligence to believe that Rahul’s statement insinuating that the Sikh religion was in jeopardy, didn’t have a separatist narrative and wasn’t aimed at pitching Sikhs against the state. Would you still blame someone who is not able to separate Rahul from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Hakuna matata: He was with the students at the Cambridge University (UK) in 2023. Continuing his campaign of bad-mouthing India abroad, Rahul said, “Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack. The institutional framework which is required for a democracy… Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilization — these are all getting constrained. We are facing an attack on the basic structure of democracy.” Prima facie these diatribes represent angst of a hapless, aging person who watches his political fortunes slipping through his fingers. On a serious note, here is a person who is spreading falsehoods against Indian institutions of great repute on international platforms and, in the same breath, wants to message the citizenry at home that his statement was an objective assessment of the situation. So, Hakuna matata (no worries). The crown-prince attends the same Indian parliament proudly, seeks greater visibility from the same Indian press and takes recourse to the same Indian judiciary for all his transgressions but finds them, ironically, constrained. An unapologetic attempt to pull wool over everyone’s eyes.  

Forgive O Lord: At first read, Robert Frost may come across light-hearted. But delve deeper and you will unveil a hard-hitting fact when he says, “Forgive O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I will forget Thy great big joke on me”. Just substitute the word “me” with “India” and you will know the underlying reference. Reservations for the marginalized strata of our society were introduced in academic institutions and government jobs as an affirmative action to level the playing field. Insensitive to the ground realities, understandably so given his dynastic background, Rahul shared his plans that the Congress party would consider ending reservation policies when the country becomes fairer. He was talking to the students and the faculty members of a University (once again) in the USA in September-2024. What he undeniably meant was that India was not a fair place because of the reservations. Not stopping at that, he added “The elephant in the room is that 90 per cent of India’s OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis don’t play the game.” Does that leave any doubt that he has serious issues with OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis being extended a helping hand (“not play the game”) to climb up the ladder to correct many historical wrongs. Some may want to dilute the seriousness of his plans to end reservations as a misinterpretation, but all would be well-advised to read between the lines.   

There are no faults in our stars.

India needs to think hard. Especially, the young who have a longer future to secure. Our personal agenda are no more islands. We do need government policies, plans and allocations to realize our personal goals. We also need a dispensation that believes in the idea of a new, resurgent India and puts in serious efforts towards inculcating a common, strong national character in its citizenry. To achieve the next-level goals. It is important, therefore, who manages the affairs of our country. Do we want to live in a constant state of anarchy due to the shenanigans of a handful of non-believers. Do we want to leave our country in the hands of those who are sure to compound its vulnerabilities, internal as also external. By implication, those of its citizens too.