The inside story on Rahul's first Interview

It was meant to be an attempt to propel Rahul Gandhi into the league reserved for the Congress party's senior-most leadership.

It was also meant to shatter his image of reticence and present him in the avatar of a man in charge of his destiny.

The party chose a one-on-one interview to make that change apparent. But the attempt backfired terribly, so much so that many within the party believe it may have harmed the Congress vice-president's image irreparably, and that it gave the impression that he doesn't have it in him to lead the nation.

The Congress vice-president sweated throughout the interview, gave vague answers and looked left and right for succour.

He came out uncertain of issues and re-introduced the ghosts of 1984 in an age where constituents have limited appeal or recall of the issue.

No blame game

Blame: Many party leaders are now questioning why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not do his home work before his interview

Sources within the party said that Rahul feels that he cannot be blamed for every issue from the past.

But, his inability to simply say "sorry" allowed the BJP the space to equate 2002 with 1984 and opening the Congress to the charge of openly rioting against the Sikhs.

But how did this PR disaster happen? It was an operation in which very few people were involved.

Top Congress leaders including senior ministers weren't in the loop. His sister Priyanka Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi closely monitored the exercise.

Rahul's closest confidantes, war room specialists, a few MPs and one minister, and the OSD of a senior minister were involved.

Congress debate

Sources said that the debate in the inner circle raged for days as to who should get to interview Rahul Gandhi first. It boiled down to two anchors from rival television channels.

Ultimately, an old hand in Rahul Gandhi's team was able to convince Priyanka Gandhi and others to choose the one seen the most and perceived to be neutral as well.

What followed is now well-recorded. In an interview that lasted about an hour and half, Rahul failed to answer questions pointedly and often came across as vague or preachy, even though a potential question-bomb in the shape of Robert Vadra went unasked.

Many senior Congress leaders are now questioning why Rahul Gandhi did not do proper home work before the interview.

Sources said that initially Rahul and his family were given feedback that the interview went very well and he had come out like a hero.

But as independent feedback poured in, the family realised the horror of the situation. Such was the shock that an interview of another leading channel was cancelled at the last minute.

Sources said that even the Prime Minister was disappointed with the exercise, even critical of the way it was handled by the team involved.

Sources also said that the PMO too had been left out of the entire plan. The Congress communications head Ajay Maken's phone remained unavailable for 24 hours after the interview.

His media team fell short of words to explain what happened. The exercise to open up Rahul Gandhi to the world also showed the economy of information from Rahul Gandhi's own office, which is seen as feudal and secretive in nature.

Meeting Rahul Gandhi becomes an act of espionage and subterfuge. One can only listen but not publish a word, a standard practice followed by his office for the past 10 years.

Flawed strategy

Though it has been decided that this media outreach programme wouldn't be abandoned mid-way and Rahul Gandhi would continue to engage with the media, analysts say fundamentally the strategy is flawed.

The real deal for Rahul would be to prove himself all over again in front of aggressive anchors that he has it in him to lead the party in its toughest hour.

Courtesy : Mail Online India