Years back, the Indian Express carried a cartoon that came to symbolise the utter helplessness of Rajiv Gandhi, battered by Bofors corruption charges, in the last days of his tenure as prime minister. Ravi Shankar, the paper's cartoonist then, had drawn a diminutive Gandhi occupying an outsized PM's chair, hollering out 'Mummy!'

Rahul Gandhi has seen many such 'Mummy!' moments in his career as a parliamentarian where he has, more often than not, marked his presence only by being absent when most needed by his party. Be it the recent debacle in assembly elections, Jayanthi Natarajan’s resignation along with her explosive letter, or the recent leave of absence coinciding with the crucial first day of the Budget session in the parliament.

Many theories have since emerged, speculating on what might really be behind the news that he had "requested Congress president Sonia Gandhi for some time to reflect on recent events and future course of the party" and the cartoonists, of course have some of the best explanations and reactions.

Here’s a look at some of them:


Source: The Economic Times




 

 

 


Source: The Indian Express