By Sushil Kutty
Another Nehru-Gandhi made her presence felt in the Lower House of the Indian Parliament on November 28. — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with her mother Sonia Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi, also Members of Parliament, she makes up the Gandhi trio, a rare constellation, except that Sonia Gandhi is a Rajya Sabha MP and Rahul and Priyanka are members of the Lok Sabha.
Priyanka Gandhi made her debut in Parliament and people say she could have made it to Parliament, should have made her debut, years ago instead of waiting for the fag-end of 2024. But then, there is a reason for that, too. You see, contrary to what people may think or believe, there is a hierarchy in the Gandhi family, too, and if anybody calls the shots in the family, it is Rahul Gandhi though he bows to mother Sonia when there is no escape from that prospect or need.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had to wait for her chance and wait on Rahul Gandhi, at that. If one thought she would have become Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli or Amethi in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, they probably never thought Rahul Gandhi would vacate Wayanad in Kerala and pick Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh.
When it is Rahul Gandhi, nothing comes pat. For the hoi polloi, Rahul Gandhi is a mystery and will continue to be a mystery. Chances are Rahul Gandhi must be a mystery even to mum Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. So stop the dissection of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s late entry into the lower house of the people, the aam aadmi!
Don’t let that mean Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is one of the Great Unwashed; on the contrary, Priyanka would give an inferiority complex to the most elegant and illustrious of women just by dint of belonging to the ultra-famous, historically-acclaimed Nehru-Gandhi family, which to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is dynasty and family rule perpetrated and should be done away with.
But that is easier said than done. Member of Parliament Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her parliamentary debut wearing the iconic Kerala ‘Kasavu’ saree. The Wayanad MP chose right and chose fine, the Kasavusaree is the Malayali woman’s traditional attire, the one which she wears on special occasions, when there is joy in the air, spring in the step and also spring in the air, like when it is Onam, Kerala’s festival of bounty.
The Kerala Kasavusaree is all about Kerala’s culture, craftsmanship, and elegance. Every Kerala woman would love to add a Kasavusaree to her wardrobe, doesn’t matter how poor or how rich. The Important thing is, the Kerala Kasavusaree never goes out of fashion. And Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has won herself pride of place in the Kerala community by choosing to wear the Kerala Kasavusaree!
Not that everybody in Kerala has an affinity to this brand of saree. And this because, the Kasavusaree is basically a “Hindu saree” and Wayanad, which Priyanka Gandhi Vadra represents in the Lok Sabha, is predominantly Muslim. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra perhaps must have wounded the pride of many a “Leaguey” with her choice of Kerala attire.
There are people in Kerala who refuse to celebrate ‘Onam’. You see, Kerala is no different from any other state of the Union despite talk to the contrary. Which brings us to the importance of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. First and foremost, Priyanka is Gandhi who descended from a Nehru. Two, she is the great-granddaughter of a Prime Minister, she is also the granddaughter of a Prime Minister and the daughter of a Prime Minister. On top of that she is also the daughter of Sonia Gandhi, who was for the longest of time Congress President and could have become Prime Minister if she wanted to, so goes the story!
The point being made is, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has vintage and history on her side. And if Rahul Gandhi is slotted to become Prime Minister of India one day, which is the natural order of things when it comes to the Congress and the Gandhi family, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also slotted to become Prime Minister in due course if circumstances so dictate. In other words, Priyanka Gandhi is also born with the ‘Sengol’!
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s importance is not only relative to India, her importance is also because she sits at the high table of the Indian National Congress. She is a secretary of the All India Congress Committee, a member of the Congress Working Committee and a Congress General-Secretary to boot. She wields power and now that she is MP, she will wield even more power in the days to come.
Besides, she takes after Indira Gandhi, in looks and, perhaps, in how she delivers her speech, both of which places her at advantage over Rahul Gandhi, who looks like his father Rajiv Gandhi but doesn’t behave like Rajiv Gandhi. The day Wayanad voted, hoardings and posters featuring Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had come up all over Lucknow with the legend ‘INDIRA IS BACK!’ Only those who know Priyanka Gandhi Vadra well will be able to tell if Priyanka Gandhi is as tough as Indira Gandhi was. In conclusion, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s debut in the Lok Sabha is a Malayali moment! (IPA Service)
