On April 3, 2013, Rahul Gandhi delivered his maiden “industry” speech while addressing India Inc. at the annual general meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The hour-long address, broadcast on all major television stations, garnered significant attention from economists, diplomats, and investors eager to glean insights from the typically reserved and secretive Gandhi, who had been infrequent in public appearances until then.
Clad in a white kurta pyjama and referring to notes on a piece of paper, Gandhi delivered his speech. Analogies and metaphors such as "China is a dragon. India is called an elephant, but we're not an elephant, we're a beehive" were sprinkled throughout the address, which received criticism from mainstream media and social media alike for having "too little substance”. The BJP labelled him a "confused leader”. However, something more significant was in motion.
That day saw the derogatory salutation, "Pappu", getting stuck to Rahul Gandhi. Twitter and other social platforms exploded with tweets and memes under #PappuCII. Though allegedly initiated by the BJP IT cell, many "liberals" and cyber "leftists" also joined the bandwagon to mock Rahul Gandhi. It was a TV advertisement for a chocolate brand, 'Pappu Pass Ho Gaya,' that altered the connotation of the old Hindi nickname "Pappu" from meaning "innocent boy" to "dumb man”.
In October 2013, Amit Shah labelled Rahul Gandhi as "Pappu" as the BJP launched its election campaign with Modi as their prime ministerial candidate. "The Congress believes the prime minister's chair is Pappu's birthright. But this is a democracy; you need people's blessings, and people's blessings are with Narendra Modi. We have declared our PM candidate (Narendra Modi). Who will be the Congress candidate? Pappu? No, they won't nominate Pappu as their candidate as they fear losing," mocked Amit Shah.
From then on, the nickname sparked discussions on multiple occasions. In 2017, Vinay Pradhan, a budding Congress politician from Meerut, faced expulsion from all party positions after referring to Rahul Gandhi as "Pappu" in a local WhatsApp group of the party, despite Pradhan’s purported intention being to praise the Gandhi scion.
However, well before the "#PappuCII" campaign, veteran CPI(M) leader and former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan had dubbed Rahul Gandhi as an "Amul Baby”. This occurred during the campaign for the 2011 Kerala assembly elections. In 2019, just before the Lok Sabha elections, Achuthanandan reiterated this ridicule upon learning that Rahul Gandhi would contest polls in Kerala. He maintained that Rahul was still an "Amul Baby" as he "did not grasp the pulse of Indian politics”.
It took nearly a decade for Rahul Gandhi to dispel the "Pappu" and "Amul Baby" labels thrust upon him by his political adversaries. By the time he concluded his Bharat Jodo Yathra, which he commenced from Kanyakumari and concluded in Kashmir on January 30, 2023, the image of the 'Kurta-Pyjama wearing Pappu' had been effectively dismantled, and a new persona of 'white T-shirt wearing RaGa' emerged, earning praise from his party members and the liberal media. Many articles highlighted that the Yatra had reinvigorated party cadres and reshaped Rahul Gandhi's public perception, although concerns lingered about the Congress's organizational weaknesses and the entrenched high command culture within the party.
Now, as Rahul Gandhi campaigns in Kerala to defend his Wayanad seat and support the victory of the Congress-led UDF, the derogatory monikers have once again become a topic of discussion. Interestingly, it wasn't the BJP or Modi who brought them back into the spotlight, but Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan.
In Kerala, the INDIA bloc is non-existent, and the primary contest occurs between the UDF and the LDF. Pinarayi and CPI(M) have been endeavouring to elevate the Citizenship Amendment Act as a major issue in the state's polls. Vijayan criticized Rahul Gandhi for his perceived silence on the matter and for contesting from Wayanad. Initially, Rahul Gandhi responded to Pinarayi’s attacks by questioning why he was being criticized incessantly.
However, during an election campaign in Kannur on April 18, Rahul escalated his criticism of Vijayan. He stated, “Two chief ministers are in jail. How come this is not happening to the Chief Minister of Kerala? I am attacking the BJP 24×7, and the Chief Minister of Kerala is attacking me 24×7. This is a bit puzzling. He (Vijayan) says that he is ideologically fighting the BJP, but I know that when you fight the BJP ideologically, they attack you with everything they have. However, there is no attack on the Chief Minister of Kerala. This is something people of Kerala should think about,” suggesting a potential tacit understanding between the BJP and Vijayan.
These comments triggered Vijayan, and while addressing a crowd at Kozhikode, the CM said: “[Rahul] had been called a name in the past… should not create a situation that shows that you have not changed.” Though there was no clear reference as to whether Vijayan was alluding to “Pappu” or “Amul Baby,” CPI(M) cadres quickly propagated ridicule of the CM. The son of a prominent CPI(M) leader from Kannur even posted a picture of an Amul product with the caption: “Old name Amul Baby”.
This controversy also led other key figures in the CPI(M)'s national leadership to speak specifically against Rahul, even though many had previously refrained from directly attacking him. Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat demanded that the Congress leadership be ready to address and rectify Rahul Gandhi’s statements.
Meanwhile, the Congress leadership in Kerala is incensed against Vijayan. "A Chief Minister who shares camaraderie with Modi can call [Rahul Gandhi] anything," remarked opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan. Additionally, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala cautioned the CM against "stooping too low”.
Kerala stands as a battleground where both the Congress and the CPI(M) are desperate to secure maximum seats. It's evident that the political heat has strained even the mutual respect between the leaders of two key players in the INDIA Bloc, which must remain united to challenge the BJP-led NDA. It remains to be seen how these personal attacks and name-calling, focused on just 20 seats in Kerala, will unfold when these leaders once again consider matters from a national perspective.
