and others who think that this is a pure case of directionless approach. From an erstwhile sophisticated Salman Khurshid to a pastoral player Beni Prasad Verma – everyone seem to be afflicted with a case of ‘foot-in-mouth’ disease.

“Manmohan Singh is 80 years old. In 2014, he will be 82, there is a limit on age to work, under these circumstances Rahulji would be the Prime Minister.”

The purpose is simply to catch the attention of the indispensable first family of Indian politics. Everyone in Congress wants to be seen as a contributor in his or her own way in the run up to the prestigious polls to the most populous state.

Let’s do a checklist of the syndrome of the disease:

In Jaunpur, Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma said “Manmohan Singh is 80 years old. In 2014, he will be 82, there is a limit on age to work, under these circumstances Rahulji would be the Prime Minister.”

Coal Minister, Sri Prajash Jaiswal, another player in eastern Uttar Pradesh, did not lose time and stressed on the ‘loyalty test’ (to the first family) as an important criterion in Congress.

Till hitherto, a graceful and sophisticated Salman Khurshid almost tried to outdo rather talkative Digivijay Singh when he said, “When I showed the pictures of the Batla House encounter (of 2008), Soniaji wept.” Digvijay Singh was quick to counter by saying, the Congress President never did such a thing.

Subsequently, Salman Khurshid opened yet another Pandora’s Box by saying the Union Cabinet would enhance the Muslim sub-quota to nine per cent from the six per cent as announced by the Government in December 2011. Predictably, this dragged him into a war with the Election Commission and when the Law Minister did not agree to adhere to the election code, the CEC S Y Quaraishi had no choice but to complain to the President to take action against Khurshid.

“When I showed the pictures of the Batla House encounter (of 2008), Soniaji wept.”

Adding to the drama, this time Digvijay Singh came to the Law Minister’s rescue and sought to degrade the Election Commission, one of the most respected public institutions in India, saying, “If a minister can not speak on these lines (Muslim quota as made by Khurshid), then the Election Commission should ban the election manifestoes”.

“All the sophistication and grace that Salman Khurshid exuded over the years has proved just a veneer. Else he would have quit immediately after the Election Commission’s censure,” wrote the daily, ‘The Statesman’ in its editorial.

In fact, the general refrain among Congress watchers is that the field is let wide open. Immediately within days, Salman expressed regrets and the Election Commission decided to treat the issue as ‘closed’. However, Beni Prasad Verma again plunged into the game, this time almost challenging the authority of the Election Commission. Addressing a rally at Farukkabad, the Steel Minister supported Khurshid in fighting for the cause of Muslims ‘honestly’ and added, “Reservation for Muslims will be increased and if the Election Commission wants, it can issue notice to me.”

It’s not merely these leaders who are taking up the cause of the party in these funny and politically unwise manners. None other than the Congress ally, Trinamool Congress has called the Congress bluff and Mamata Banerjee fielded a Muslim lieutenant, Sultan Ahmed, to rush to the Commission demanding a ban on Beni Prasad Verma’s election campaign in Uttar Pradesh.

Sultan Ahmed also accused Congress of shedding crocodile tears about Muslims saying, “Congress leaders Musalman ke boka banachchey (Congress leaders are only befooling Muslims)”.

Obviously, at the regular briefing the Congress spokespersons are unable to defend their colleagues. Renuka Choudhury fumbled for words only just recently.

“If a minister can not speak on these lines (Muslim quota as made by Khurshid), then the Election Commission should ban the election manifestoes”.

Janardhan Dwivedi, chief spokesman and Sonia Gandhi’s trusted media manager, could merely say, “The Election Commission is a constitutional body. Congress always wants that all Congressmen should speak as per the norms of public life and the law of the land.”

The Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambica Soni endorsed Dwivedi’s seemingly rationale approach saying, “What Dwivedi has said applies to me, to Salman Khurshid, Beni Prasad Verma and all Congressmen.”

But no statement has come from any authoritative sources such as the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who hardly acted on the EC’s complaint against the Law Minister or the Congress President or her ‘all virtuous’ crown prince Rahul Gandhi.

“All these make us suspect that they are working on a pattern,” says a BJP leader who maintains that Congress efforts to galvanize the Muslim support base would only help the saffron party in reviving its sagging electoral fate in Uttar Pradesh.

However, what goes without saying that it’s just not these leaders who are leaving the Congress leadership red faced.

Rahul Gandhi himself betrayed a kind of nervousness when he tore a paper of the names of Congress leaders saying the opposition manifestoes and election promises were meant to be treated in this manner. Samajwadi Party leaders say it was a “failed” angry young man in action.

“Next time, I am afraid, he (Rahul) would jump from the stage,” mocked SP leader Akhilesh Yadav.

Robert Vadra tangle:

There’s no end to these woes as the first family’s son-in-law Robert Vadra too wanted to display that he too matters when it comes to the battle of Uttar Pradesh. Vadra landed in Amethi apparently to extend a helping hand to his wife Priyanka Gandhi. But he tried to score a vital point vis-à-vis intra-family drama saying, “Priyanka’s time will come.” It was a clear green signal from the hubby to his wife that – you may have to take the bigger plunge after your brother’s harakri (read after the UP poll results).

The soap opera has just begun. Never mind the obvious resultant: the rhetoric fests and mistakes of antics only establish one fact that the Congress is not sure of the Uttar Pradesh results. Any figures less than 60-70 in the 403-state assembly would be the proverbial egg on the face for Rahul. Mamatas and Naveen Patnaiks are only waiting in the wings to strike when the iron is hot!