Imran Masood of the Congress recently said that if Priyanka were made Prime Minister, she would teach Pakistan a lesson, just like Indira Gandhi did. In other words, Imran Masood subtly advocated for Priyanka Gandhi.
It's true that many in the Congress see a glimpse of Indira in Priyanka; people find her accessible and natural. However, is this resemblance alone a reason enough to make Priyanka the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha? After all, she has been a member of the Lok Sabha for barely 12 months, and that doesn't quite justify being potentially appointed as either the Congress's leader or the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
It is true that in Rahul Gandhi's absence recently, Gandhi stepped forward during the Parliament session and led the opposition deftly - especially on issues like the G Ram G Bill and the overhaul of MGNREGA. Her march with the entire opposition to the Gandhi statue was striking, as was her chat over tea and snacks with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. However, not many have pointed out how this decision was taken by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. People also appreciated Priyanka's style, which stood out in stark contrast to the fact that Rahul never attended such tea meetings.
The little-discussed truth, however, is that the decision not to go for tea with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha was taken by the party itself. And this time as well, the decision to attend the meeting was the party's.
That said, it can't be denied that there is certainly a difference between the two siblings' approach to politics. Rahul Gandhi has been much harsher towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the reason perhaps being that he has forgotten neither the way the latter had targeted Sonia Gandhi during the UPA years, nor how it mocked him relentlessly through both personal attacks and public ridicule.
Rahul has been winning Lok Sabha elections continuously since 2004. As far as bringing the party to power is concerned, this time, when the Congress won 99 seats in the Lok Sabha, workers were enthused. The party lost elections in many states and won in some, but Rahul kept going. His image is now that of a leader who keeps fighting even after defeat - someone with the courage to walk on foot from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
However, Rahul is surrounded by complacent leaders, and that is a pitfall in itself. Many of them are friendly with the BJP, while many others spend their time pulling down those who are actually fighting. Rahul has his own team of young workers, running the party in their own way, and it is for them to answer why the party's performance has not improved, and whether the issues they are raising will bring success or not - and, if not, why.
So, the rumours about a power struggle within the Congress may just be that: rumours. Rahul and Priyanka are a pair. For now, there is no vacancy in the Congress.
(The author is Managing Editor, NDTV India)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
