Rahul Gandhi as Congress president: Is Mani Shankar Aiyar's Mughal, Aurangzeb 'misquote' the real quote?

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is all set to be elevated as the party president this month, replacing his mother, is fighting a spirited battle in Gujarat.

Though he is seen as missing no opportunity to attack the ruling BJP, Rahul's efforts appear to be watered down by his party.

Yesterday, when Rahul filed the nomination for Congress president's post, senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar compared the succession process in the party to the Mughal rule. He asked whether there was an election when Jahangir succeeded Shah Jahan or when the latter gave way to Aurangzeb as the emperor.

However, he added that though it was known that the Badshah's son would become the emperor, anyone was free to contest against Rahul Gandhi in the Congress party and that it was a totally democratic process.

This comment was lapped by Modi, who was in Gujarat addressing political rallies. Taking a dig at Rahul, he congratulated the Congress on their "Aurangzeb rule".

HABITUAL OFFENDER?

It was not the first time that Aiyar had said something which was seen as damaging Rahul's prospects. In October, he said that only two people can be Congress president - mother or son.

However, he was quick to add that if there was only one candidate, how an election could be conducted in the first place.

Even earlier, in March, Aiyar had gone to the extent of questioning Rahul's capability to lead a rainbow coalition of the opposition parties to take on Modi and the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Advocating the 2004 type alliance, he said after it is accomplished, the nature of the leadership needed to be tackled. He said Sonia Gandhi did it then, Rahul Gandhi needs to do it now.

Aiyar said Rahul, if needed, should forsake his claim over leadership of the alliance as the Congress did in Bihar in 2015, when it was the third junior partner of Mahagathbandhan and in Uttar Pradesh when it played a second fiddle to the Samajwadi Party.

He also added that "even more important than promoting the composite alliance was for the Congress to put its own house in order".

Read along with previous instances, Aiyar's comparison of Rahul's ascension as the Congress chief with the Mughal rule may not be an off-the-cuff remark. There seems to be a pattern to it.

TEA-SELLER MEME

The first damage to Rahul's efforts was done by the Youth Congress which depicted posted a meme on Twitter mocking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and depicting him as a tea-seller. Though the post was later deleted following an outrage, the damage had been done.

Modi and the BJP sought to draw political mileage out of the meme by projecting Congress as classist and being against the PM's humble origins.

SOMNATH TEMPLE VISIT

Rahul's image suffered harm for the second time during his visit to Somnath temple. The visit became controversial when his name was added by a Congress functionary in the register kept for non-Hindus.

The Congress leaders caused more harm when they insisted that Rahul was not just a Hindu but a "janeu-dhari" Brahmin. This has the potential to upset Rahul's plan to stitch a rainbow alliance of Patidars, OBCs, Dalits and Muslims in Gujarat.

WATCH VIDEO | Mani Shankar Aiyar's Aurangzeb debate on News Today