Much before Narendra Modi and Gujarat came to dominate the news space, there was that intriguing little story of how Lauh Purush, now designated BJP’s official PM-in-waiting, met the Gandhi baba, now presumed to be the Congress’s PM-in-waiting, in an airport VIP lounge. Mind you, they were going off in different directions, and there was no pre-arrangement to the meeting between the two. Surprisingly, Rahul Gandhi had never met L.K. Advani before. Unsurprisingly, their casual meeting became a public event.

It is a sad thing for Indian politics that the chance meeting was hailed for being friendly. In the West, political opposites always enjoy cordial social relations even as they fight each other tooth and nail. To that extent, it is a good sign that these two met and got along. Indeed the fact Rahul Gandhi had not met Advani before shows that he still has some advantage as a total newcomer to politics with no baggage. People know that he has little choice but to be in the political business. If he had the freedom he would probably do something less fraught with risks and more pleasant. But tough luck; he has to train to be prime minister of India. So at least we know he has no careerist agenda in politics; his is a chore to be performed.

Rahul Gandhi has tentatively tried to poke the Congress Party system he is about to inherit and see if it can be improved. His strictures on Congress membership were well taken. The whole system needs to be brought into post-Independence India if not the 21st century. The khadi fixation, the pretence to Gandhian morality and the risibly low membership fee need to be jettisoned. What the Congress needs is 21st century methods of recruitment and some semblance of inner-party democracy rather than be wrapped up in khadi and the hypocrisy of prohibition. The real test would be, if he tries out something sensible, whether other parties will welcome it or fall back on even greater hypocrisy to block him.

... contd.