NON-SERIOUS POLITICIAN?
Gandhi entered politics and was first elected to parliament in 2004 from his family borough of Amethi in the northern heartland state of Uttar Pradesh.
He won the same victory in 2009 and 2014. However, he suffered a shock setback in 2019, when he lost his seat. However, he had also contested a seat in the Kerala state and won there to return to parliament.
Gandhi’s attendance at parliament is far below the average. His frequent absences from the chamber, and the country, have been the focus of the media and drawn BJP accusations that he is a “non-serious” politician.
Outside parliament, he has often reminded his supporters of his family’s commitment and sacrifices, talking about the assassinations of his grandmother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and his former prime minister father, Rajiv Gandhi.
Lately, he has been causing controversy by voicing criticism of the BJP.
He said that Modi was threatening democracy in Britain, angering the BJP members who demanded an apology or threatened to expel him from the chamber.
He posted on Twitter, Thursday, his conviction, some words in Hindi by Mahatma Gandhi (a freedom movement leader), who is not his relative.
“My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, and non-violence is the way to get it. – Mahatma Gandhi”.
At 52 years old, Gandhi is single and has been spotted riding in New Delhi with security personnel.
His conviction and disqualification form parliament are now “make or break” for him according to Neelanjan Sircar (a senior visiting fellow at New Delhi’s Centre for Policy Research).
“Will he be able to make the argument that ‘I am being targeted by a government that does not necessarily represent the interest of all Indians’, or is he going to be seen as somebody who is not a capable politician and therefore has been outplayed by the BJP,” Sircar told Reuters.
