T he Congress Party is celebrating the arrival of Rahul Gandhi. Loyalists waiting to offer his leader ship a grand legitimacy
grabbed the opportunity to hail him as an astute political brain and the architect of the party's showing in the national elections
Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not hold back accolades and publicly wooed the reluctant crown prince to join his Cabinet even as the results were coming in
Yet, amid the extreme flattery and adulation, Rahul betrays no emotions – neither joy, nor relief, nor even the strains of impending responsibilities. In fact, Rahul was absent from the postpoll celebrations. He was at the memorials of his grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and father, Rajiv Gandhi, quietly dedicating the victory to them
As the clamor for granting Rahul a Cabinet post gained ground, he declined, opting to work for the party instead. His roadmap for the next five years will be to strengthen the grassroots organization, democratize the Youth Congress, revamp the All India Congress Committee (the party's decision-making body) and be the "conscience keeper" of the Singh government to ensure his pet idea of "inclusive growth" is turned into reality
"My job, as I see it right now, is to try to change the politics in this country using youngsters and unleashing the energy of these youngsters in this country," he says
Rahul's decision to stay away from the Cabinet is also seen as a measure to ensure Manmohan Singh has his space and freedom
Given the legendary Congress sycophancy toward the Nehru-Gandhi family, Rahul may not want to emerge as an alternative power center that would curb the authority of the prime minister
Says a party insider, "Manmohan Singh is very important to the Gandhis. His incorruptible disposition, sincerity and competence to handle an
economic crisis have won the party its mandate, especially in urban India." Hence, it is only prudent to let Singh run the show till Rahul is ready
Remember, renunciation and my-time-has-not-come modesty runs deep in the Gandhi household
From his mother Sonia Gandhi's example Rahul has learnt that relinquishing power will only enhance his image and make him more acceptable to the party and the masses. Sonia Gandhi's image as a political leader has soared after she declined the prime ministership in 2004. She alone held the United Progressive Alliance led by the Congress together, smoothing the ruffled feathers of disgruntled elements when necessary
Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul's sister, talks about her brother's willingness "to sacrifice the now for the future." Rahul clearly wants to be a marathon runner, not a 100meter sprint champ. He's already
looking at the 2014 general elections, which will be his champagne moment. In fact, his much-touted reform of the party organization is geared toward that target. As per his schedule, by 2010, his task in the youth wing will be completed and he will focus on the parent organization that has never seen reform. The process will purge old party leaders fighting factional battles, and bring in younger leaders more directly supportive of him. Hence, his mission to recast the party brick by brick will enable him to build his own political machinery for eventually governing India in 2014
Interestingly, the most privileged beneficiary of hereditary rights in the party wants to be the champion of inner-party democracy. "Just because I am the outcome of a system does not mean that I cannot change it," Rahul says. "It is undemocratic that the Congress is still led
by a Gandhi. But it's the reality
… My position gives me certain privileges. It is a fact of life in India that success in politics depends on who you know or are related to. I want to change the system," he says. The Future Challenges Committee, that came into existence when Rahul took over as general secretary, has already recommended farreaching changes that include the process by which the party high command nominates office bearers or selects candidates for elections
Rahul has been instrumental in changing the face of the Youth Congress. He has introduced open membership, internal democracy, performance appraisal and a code of ethics
For the first time, elections were held in the Punjab and Gujarat units. In Punjab, he launched the Aam Aadmi Ke Sipahi program and the membership soared from 70,000 to 350,000; in Gujarat, the membership rose to 800,000
Rahul is working on the twin strategy of recapturing the party's lost base in states where the Congress has been forced into regional alliances – Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal – and also areas that have slipped out of the Congress grip
Preparations are also on for the May 2012 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the Congress will fight alone. Rahul firmly believes that the Congress needs to cultivate a strong support base in these
states. Coalitions are a compulsion, not an option, he told the Congress Working Committee
The Rahul Doctrine seeks to replace caste politics with development
He talks in earnest clichés of bridging the gap between the two Indias. "Poor people are the people who will make India great. India's powerhouse is not in the cities or in the metros. It lies in the villages," says Rahul
Jitin Prasada, a lawmaker and a close associate of Rahul says, "Rahul has an innate belief in the strength of rural India. When the British foreign secretary (David Miliband) was taken to Amethi, it was not as was charged by rivals to mock the poor but to show the strength of rural India. He goes out to villages, connects with people and sees the reality himself." Caught between the call of his ancestry and the challenges of politics, Rahul took his own time to step into the mainstream. His language had the bleeding intonation of NGO-talk, a sprinkling of corporate consultancy interspersed with moral conjunctions
But somewhere along his Discovery of India tour, he has acquired the syntax of realpolitik, the confidence of a party leader and the calm of a policy wonk
"They say that I am a dream- er. Yes, I am a dreamer like the rest of the youth of this country and our dreams will come true," Rahul told an election rally

Little Known Facts i) His girlfriend: A much-speculated secret that the family likes to keep under wraps. But in 2004, he chose to speak about the matter. "My girlfriend's name is Veronique, not Juanita. She is Spanish and not Venezuelan or Colombian. She is an architect and not a waitress, though I wouldn't have had a problem with that. She is also my best friend." But since then, he has maintained a silence on the issue
ii) Religion: Earlier, both Rahul and sister Priyanka would visit the
Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi with their mother regularly
But none of them have been seen at the church in the last four years
iii) Reading: An avid reader, Rahul enjoyed Thomas Friedman's "Hot, Flat, and Crowded," and "Common Wealth" by Jeffrey Sachs. His post on Twitter says, "All this travelling makes me want to write a la Bruce Chatwin." He has also provided a link to his favorite blog: krugman.blogs.nytimes.com iv) Fitness routine: He is often seen
at the gym at Amatrra, the spa at The Ashoka hotel. His day begins with a walk and a session on the treadmill. He swims regularly, and is also a tae kwon do expert
v) Sports: Motor sports and gokarting are his other passions. He's been spotted racing on Yamaha R1 and Kawasaki Ninja, on a specially built and camouflaged racetrack in Gurgaon on early mornings
vi) Tech savvy: An avid BlackBerry user, he likes to stay connected. He doesn't wear a watch

vi) Favorite food: A foodie, he's fond of kebabs, biriyani, ice cream, coffee and diet Coke. His Twitter post informs, "Few joys in life are better than strong black coffee in the early hours of the morning." vii) Music: Arock music fan, he posts on Twitter, "Song stuck in head: U2, ‘Moment of Surrender'" and "listening to Pink Floyd's ‘The Dark Side of the Moon'." viii) Languages: Apart from Hindi and English, he's well versed in Italian, speaks a bit of Spanish