Man of the People

His agenda involves more than just listening, however; Gandhi has also begun working hard to reform Congress from within. The party is currently dominated by fixers and power brokers who constantly jostle for perks and attention. The result is nontransparent and often corrupt. As Rahul himself put it recently, "India is a democratic country, but there is practically no internal democracy in any party."

To change that, Gandhi says he wants Congress to start holding elections for all party posts, which would allow advancement based on merit, not just connections. He also wants to increase the youth role in Congress—a smart move in a country where nearly 70 percent of the 1.1 billion people are under 40. Thus he's started opening doors for young, accomplished new candidates, many of whom he personally interviews. And he's campaigned to bring in many young rank-and-file members as well; after he paid a visit to Orissa in March, more than 40,000 new members signed up.

Gandhi also hopes to inspire a new culture of competence, public service and sacrifice. He frequently exhorts young Indians to help the poor, has denounced corruption and called for more accountability in public life, organizing village rallies to call authorities to task. He's also politely declined to join Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cabinet, stressing that he would rather work at revitalizing the troops—an unusual move in a country where most politicians place personal advancement above all else.

Of course, to succeed, Congress must start winning elections and combat its reputation for aloofness. As for Rahul, he needs to combat perceptions that, as Mayawati has put it, he's a "crown prince who inherited power" and who doesn't truly understand the plight of the poor—despite his village visits, which she dismisses as mere "political drama."

Even if Gandhi's back-to-basics strategy doesn't pay off, he says he's in it for the long run; as he told a group of journalists recently, "I will continue this [process] for the rest of my life." Pundits have lately begun comparing him to his father, Rajiv—who became prime minister after his grandmother Indira was assassinated in 1984, and won plaudits for his humility, sincerity of purpose and charm. Yet it's important to remember that these attributes didn't help Rajiv in the end: after five unexceptional years in office, he was thrown out of power. That should serve as an important reminder that results mean more than intentions in Indian politics. "Rahul's impulse to do good cannot be faulted," says Rangarajan. Whether that impulse can translate into leadership, however, remains uncertain.

© 2008