Every few months, a familiar argument resurfaces in India's political discourse. Rahul Gandhi, we are told, will be vindicated by history. He may never become Prime Minister, but future generations will remember him as one of the few leaders who consistently warned the country about the dangers posed by the BJP, the RSS and the broader Hindutva project.

It is an argument advanced by many respected commentators and public intellectuals. Yet it suffers from a fundamental flaw. It mistakes opposition for leadership and rhetoric for political accomplishment. The question is not whether Rahul Gandhi has criticised Narendra Modi and the BJP. He certainly has. The question is whether he has succeeded in building an effective political alternative to them. And, on that score, the record is difficult to defend.

If one genuinely believes that the Republic is facing an existential threat, then speeches, press conferences and slogans are not enough. The gravity of the danger demands organisation, coalition building, electoral success and institutional action. It demands the construction of a political vehicle capable of defeating that threat. Rahul Gandhi's defenders often focus on what he has said. His critics focus on what he has achieved.

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Consider the Rafale campaign. Rahul Gandhi built his entire attack on Narendra Modi around allegations of corruption. "Chowkidar Chor Hai" was not a side issue but the central political slogan of the Congress campaign, and it appeared to be gaining traction.

Then came the controversy surrounding his remarks about the Supreme Court and the petition filed by Meenakshi Lekhi. The Court publicly clarified its position and admonished Rahul Gandhi for attributing views to it that it had never expressed.

Almost overnight, the campaign lost momentum, and after the election, Rafale virtually disappeared from Congress's political discourse. That is difficult to reconcile with the gravity of the allegations. If Congress genuinely believed it had uncovered........

© Mathrubhumi English