Yes, Rahul Should Rule

Bottomline: at least Uttar Pradesh, a Congress bastion for yonks and then not for nearly as long, is ready to vote the party in, with Rahul on top.

Bottomline: at least Uttar Pradesh, a Congress bastion for yonks and then not for nearly as long, is ready to vote the party in, with Rahul on top.

In the heart of Kanpur city, in one of its posh localities, four youngsters are all for Rahul Gandhi becoming India’s Prime Minister. Vineet Arora and his three friends have formed a Rock band called Rab. They practise at the house of bandmate, Rohit Shrivastav. “I like Rahul Gandhi for his clean image,” says Arora, 19, who will be voting for the first time, like his two other friends. “Rahul should become the Prime Minister,” says another friend, Kunal Yadav. But won’t it be too soon? “No, by the time he grows old, he would have lost all his passion and enthusiasm,” ventures Arora, who is studying engineering. “But he should make sure that he stays like this,” says Rohit Shrivastav. The expectations are very high. “I have a feeling that he will rock as Prime Minister of this country,” says Yadav. Others nod in agreement. And then they slip towards the bathroom, one after another, arranging their hair for a photo shoot. Clearly, bridging the ‘two Indias’ is a mighty challenge.

leadershipRahul Gandhi