Rahul Gandhi strives to get Congress back into reckoning for the 2014 election

NEW DELHI: Rahul’s public advocacy of the Lokpal bill on Saturday, seen by some as another “Press Club moment” , ended the Manmohan government’s ambivalence over a legislation it viewed with aversion, if not distaste. Though he said work on the Lokpal bill preceded Gandhian anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s recent fast and poll defeats, Rahul is clearly working against time to get his party back into reckoning for the 2014 election.

His effort to position himself as an agent of change looking to overcome status quoist sentiment within Congress as much as political rivals suffers from the obvious reality check of his record during UPA’s nearly 10 years in office.

Along with Lokpal bill, the grievance redress mechanism that sets out a citizens’ charter are seen by Rahul’s advisors as potential game-changers like the NREGS. Looking to make up for time Congress lost in deriding popular anti-corruption movements, Rahul is trying to align the ruling party with prevailing attitudes. Lok Sabha results will settle if he has left it too late, but without rearguard action, Congress’s prospects appear even dimmer, it is felt.

The Lokpal is seen as an alternate and independent mechanism that can address public cynicism about a “politicized” CBI and could help diminish voter blowback against Congress for a series of scams that have marred UPA-2. Changes in the Prevention of Corruption Act are also seen to be far reaching, as they draw inspiration from the UK act of 2010, which evaluates actions by public servants on whether the expectation of good faith or impartiality has been breached.

Though the UK law has been criticized for potentially disadvantaging British business, it is also seen to protect legitimate action on part of officials. But the principle of “relevant expectation” may mean a quid pro quo need not always be established.