Rahul Gandhi as Scribe, Helping Centre with Spl Panel: Rising Above Verbal Duel, Politics Has a New Face in Times of Coronavirus

Rahul Gandhi has a general disdain for journalists and has often accused them of not asking the right questions. So what does he do? Well, he decides to become one.

In a first of a long series, Gandhi interviewed former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan on the economy post lockdown, Covid-19 and also discussed what was lacking in strategy.

There are several questions that the senior Congress leader has of late been raising on coronavirus strategy. From the need for more testing to economic revival and movement of migrants. A special consultative panel set up by Sonia Gandhi on Covid-19 has her son along with Dr Manmohan Singh and others. The idea is that in these coronavirus times, Congress remains relevant and gives inputs to government as principal opposition.

Of late, Congress has been left out with regional powers becoming powerful and the grand old party feeling that it's voice is not being heard enough. In Parliament, the impression goes is that between the government and opposition parties like TMC and SP, the Congress party is being eased out.

As Congress gets restricted to fewer states and a non-player in important states like UP, Bihar and down South, Covid crisis is being used by the party to remain relevant. It’s a double-edged sword.

In this crisis any criticism will be seen as being anti-national and could boomerang, which is why the Congress has decided not to hit out at the government or the prime minister on this too harshly. Yet it would ask questions and make suggestions for the road ahead.

Congress sources say they are delighted that some of the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi like focus on MSMEs, movement of migrant workers have finally been accepted by the Centre. The BJP of course says it's the idea of the government and Gandhi is being a spoilsport and has no concern in helping and cooperating with the government.

In his first of the series of conversations, Gandhi decided to steer clear of harsh criticism yet let Raghuram point out the lacunae and also suggestions. Sources say that there are more in the pipeline.

Coming up soon are virologists, healthcare experts, politicians, economists — basically thought leaders.

Rahul Gandhi as journalist, perhaps, is the new makeover he and his party are looking at.