Why Rahul Is Popular

A lot of them, men and women, upper caste Hindus and Dalits, young and old, find Rahul “clean, accessible and energetic”. His looks count for something too.

A lot of them, men and women, upper caste Hindus and Dalits, young and old, find Rahul “clean, accessible and energetic”. His looks count for something too.

In a degree college in Akbarpur town, a group of men and women clad in a white-and-grey uniform are attending class. It is a strange sight, of grown-ups wearing colours normally worn in school. But in a rural scenario, such a ‘smart’ get-up can often be a matter of pride. More so when one is studying to gain a B.Ed degree.

Most of the students in the class are upper-caste Brahmins. “The people of my community are drifting back to the Congress, and it is all because of Rahul Gandhi,” says one girl, Ekta Sharma. The girl next to her, Kalpana Pandey thinks the young leader will be able to bring about development for the poor. “What I like about him is that he does not move in convoys and doesn’t care about chamchas (toadies) tagging along,” she says. “He does not even care about his personal safety when he mingles with the crowd.”

“But there is a lot he needs to do,” intervenes Preeti Shukla, another student. “There is too much corruption; there are Kalavatis all over,” she adds, referring to the widow in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region who was mentioned by Rahul Gandhi in one of his Lok Sabha speeches. Many others nod their heads in agreement. “The money that comes for the implementation of NREGA (rural employment guarantee scheme) is consumed by influential people,” says Krishna Kumar Dwivedi. “Instead of funding NREGA, Rahul should help open up industry here so that youth like us don’t have to rely on a B.Ed degree to get jobs,” he says. “And you know, he should get rid of this reservation system,” says Anshul Tiwari. “Reservation should be on the basis of economic status and not caste,” he goes on. “It pains me to see that I have to pay 400 rupees for a form for the Bank Probationary Officer’s exam, and with the same money a candidate from a reserved caste can buy eight such forms. That is unfair,” protests Kalpana Pandey.

In Rampur town in the Barabanki parliamentary constituency, Sudip Shukla, however, does not care about NREGA or the setting up of industries right now. He is basking in the glory of his close encounter (he shook hands) with Rahul Gandhi. Shukla runs a small shop in the town, and, recently, a big vehicle stopped right in front of his shop. A man emerged from it and came across. “He brought six packets of Lee Bee chips,” he says, pointing to the remaining packets. “While he paid me money, I looked at the car and I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he recalls. “Yeh Rahul Gandhi hain kya?” he asked the man, and he smiled. “I rushed towards the car. Rahulji smiled, rolled down the window and shook hands with me.” A moment’s pause. “Can you imagine, he shook hands with me? He is so down to earth, so accessible,” he says.

Shukla says he has never voted for the Congress in the past. “But it is Rahulji’s simplicity that has won me over,” he says. Bad roads and electricity will still be an issue. “But my vote will now always go to Rahul Gandhi,” he says, decisively, “or his candidate.”

Of course, there aren’t that many people Rahul can meet and shake hands with. About 30 km from both Rampur and Lucknow, in Barabanki town, Preeti Trivedi has never met Rahul Gandhi. “But this time I must give him a chance,” she says, impressed in her own way. Trivedi runs a small beauty parlour at her residence. Some extra money is always welcome. On an average, she tends to the beauty needs of 10-12 women every day. “There is something in him (Rahul) that makes you believe him,” she says. Trivedi admits that she had not known much about Rahul Gandhi earlier. “But now there is a lot of buzz around him. A lot of my customers talk about him,” she says.

But, what if her husband wants her to vote for some other political party, as it’s known to happen in several parts of India? “That is his choice,” she replies, firmly. “But I am sure he will respect my decision. And moreover, I would like to convince him to vote for the Congress this time.”

Just outside Shukla’s shop, Nakched sits on a jute sack, mending shoes that come by. Some townspeople have assembled, and they tease him about the day he spotted Rahul Gandhi.
“I was mending slippers when I saw him,” he recalls. Though he didn’t get to shake hands with Rahul Gandhi, Nakched now swears allegiance to his party, the Indian National Congress. His reasoning is clear—“I think Rahul will be able to make a difference to everybody’s life.”

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Rahul Pandita

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