Most of us tried to take a day off to watch India play in the semifinals against Australia on Thursday, a match that didn't go so well. Most of us would be happy to get a week off from work if our bosses allow it, even if they do grumble. None of us would expect to be able to take a month's leave just when our organisation needs us the most – and then fail to turn up even after that month. But then none of us is Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress Vice President asked his boss, and mother, for leave from all political activity more than a month ago on February 23. That happened to be the first day of the Budget Session of Parliament, just when the Congress was expected to start working towards a comeback. The party did manage to show a surprising amount of gusto during the first half of the session, working with other Opposition leaders to embarrass the government and take its agitation against the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill to the streets.
That whole time Rahul Gandhi, the man expected to be anointed party chief later this year, was not just missing he was incommunicado. So much so that Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Uttar Pradesh were openly trolling him by putting up posters offering a reward to anyone who had information about his whereabouts.
Why did Rahul go on leave?
The prevailing theory suggests that this was a tantrum telling the old guard in the party that they will have to make way for him and his appointments. Predictably and hilariously, it has backfired, with Congress President Sonia Gandhi along with the party's stalwarts agitating in the streets against the Land Bill and actually building up some sort of support from the public at large.
Where has Rahul gone?
No one knows. Not even twitter.
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The Congress Vice President asked his boss, and mother, for leave from all political activity more than a month ago on February 23. That happened to be the first day of the Budget Session of Parliament, just when the Congress was expected to start working towards a comeback. The party did manage to show a surprising amount of gusto during the first half of the session, working with other Opposition leaders to embarrass the government and take its agitation against the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill to the streets.
That whole time Rahul Gandhi, the man expected to be anointed party chief later this year, was not just missing he was incommunicado. So much so that Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Uttar Pradesh were openly trolling him by putting up posters offering a reward to anyone who had information about his whereabouts.
A reward for finding 'missing' Rahul Gandhi, say posters in Uttar Pradesh http://t.co/iZk0C4Q4qH pic.twitter.com/MIkwxmLpY3
— NDTV (@ndtv) March 25, 2015Why did Rahul go on leave?
The prevailing theory suggests that this was a tantrum telling the old guard in the party that they will have to make way for him and his appointments. Predictably and hilariously, it has backfired, with Congress President Sonia Gandhi along with the party's stalwarts agitating in the streets against the Land Bill and actually building up some sort of support from the public at large.
Where has Rahul gone?
No one knows. Not even twitter.
Rahul Gandhi has been in Uttarakhand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Greece, Thailand. Man is moving faster than the lead pair in a Bollywood song
— Gappistan Radio (@GappistanRadio) March 2, 2015Geography not his strong suit. MT @sardesairajdeep: Sources to @HeadlinesToday: Rahul Gandhi going to Laos/Cambodia on way to Greece! — Sadanand Dhume (@dhume) February 23, 2015Maybe the cops were trying to find where #RahulGandhi was, cos the nation wants to know? http://t.co/m2mJTgvSZG — Indulekha Aravind (@Indulekha_A) March 14, 2015Congress has 44 MPs, 52 spokesperson but not even a single spokesperson can tell where Rahul Gandhi is!!!
— VibhaSekhar (@VibhaSays) March 25, 2015