Indian Gandhi dynasty loses its allure

NEW DELHI: He promised to defeat the opposition with "love", but was jilted by India's voters. Now Rahul Gandhi's humiliating rejection raises the question: has his famous surname lost its allure?
While the general election marked the first time 43-year-old Rahul had fronted a national campaign for the left-leaning Congress, the latest disaster followed two other state election wipe-outs on his watch, according to a news agency.
Not surprisingly, the comments were made on condition of anonymity. There have been few signs of open revolt against the Gandhis, India's most famous dynasty, which has provided three of the country's prime ministers.

But in a sign of the frustrations towards Rahul after a lacklustre campaign, a small number of supporters broke cover on Friday to chant calls for the scion to be replaced by his younger sister Priyanka, who was the family's star performer on the campaign trail.

Such a spectacle only serves to reinforce the view of critics that Congress -- which has ruled India for all but 13 years of its post-independence history -- has become almost entirely reliant on a family that has lost its Midas touch.

Asked in an interview last week whether he thought Rahul should make way for Priyanka, Modi replied: "It seems odd that a national party like the Congress should not be able to think beyond the Gandhi family for providing leadership."

The dynasty's rule dates back to the premiership of Jawaharlal Nehru, who was India's first leader after British colonial rule and was Rahul's great-grandfather.