Amethi: Rahul Gandhi is a man impatient. The Gandhi scion, who will turn 49 this June, is still not the Prime Minister. Remember, his father, Rajiv Gandhi, got the top job when he was just 40 years.
With his youthful years running out, he is losing patience. As the prince of the Gandhi family, he believes that he is entitled to the post of Prime Minister. However, that entitlement has not happened yet and the ‘young’ prince is not happy about that.
What he forgets more often is that the post of Prime Minister is not something that will be handed to him on a silver plate. Times have changed and the citizens of New India believes that the top post belongs to the deserving and not to those whose only qualification is a name borrowed.
Years of genuine hard-work coupled with tangible developments on ground is now becoming the touchstone to gauge the performance of those who aspire to become the Prime Minister. The people are looking for someone who is one among them and who is always in the midst of the masses during both good and bad times.
Taking this into account, is Rahul Gandhi fit to be the PM of 1.3 billion people?
To find the answer to that we must go to a village in Amethi called Jagdishpur. What makes this obscure village significant is the fact that Rahul Gandhi chose this place to be his adoptive village under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yogna (SAGY).
According to SAGY, every member of parliament must adopt a village in their constituency and develop it into a model village.
It’s been five years since Rahul Gandhi had adopted Jagdishpur and the number of times he visited his adoptive village is just once. That was in December, 2014, when the scheme began. During that time some measurements of roads and trees were done but it ended with that.
The development in the village is dismal with kacha roads, no water supply through pipes, and the school and health services are in very poor conditions.
The villagers are visibly angry with Rahul Gandhi for neglecting them even after their strong loyalty for the Gandhi family for decades. The poor villagers of Jagdhishpur were excited five years ago when their village was selected by Rahul Gandhi. Five years down the line, all the excitement has vanished and it has turned into resentment and disappointment.
Rahul Gandhi has also not spend anything from his Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme(MPLADS) fund for the development of the village.
Villagers argue that even though Rahul Gandhi, who won with their votes, neglected them, Smrithi Imrani, visited them many times. Smrithi Irani had lost to Rahul Gandhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but not without reducing his majority by 1 lakh votes.
Surprisingly, they say that BJP schemes such as Ujjwala Scheme and Ayushmaan Bharat has improved their lot.
The villagers are feeling a sense of being abandoned by their leader whom they voted to be their representative.
This is what Rahul Gandhi does to a region where he is directly responsible. It is a small village in his own Parliament constituency and still he has failed the people there. This shows that Rahul Gandhi has failed as an administrator, as a people’s leader and as someone who can be relied upon.
Rahul Gandhi fails to recognize that being responsible and doing tangible work is some of the basic qualities that people look for in their Prime Minister.
People of the country are asking how can someone who cannot even transform a single village in his constituency can expect to transform and develop a huge and diverse country as India with multiple problems and challenges.
India needs a strong and decisive leader with a vision and enthusiasm to inspire 1.3 billion citizens. India needs a true patriot who is capable to transform and develop the country.
Unfortunately, Rahul Gandhi misses the target by a very wide mark.
