3 politicians, a list and a game of truth and dare. That’s what a book launch turned out to be

3 politicians, a list and a game of truth and dare. That’s what a book launch turned out to be

New Delhi: A list of contenders to the power game in India can sometimes churn out a book, and at odd times a treacherous battle of wits.

And it can be a dangerous game to play, especially in the election season.

Senior TV political journalist Priya Sahgal’s list of potential challengers or successors to Narendra Modi for the prime minister’s chair led her to write the book The Contenders: Who Will Lead India Tomorrow? in 2018. In 2024, she updated the list. Some names have been dropped and new ones added.

But when politicians at a panel discussion were asked to come up with their own list of tomorrow’s leaders, they began walking on thin ice.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, RSS national executive member Ram Madhav, and former diplomat-turned-politician Pawan K Varma—a match made in heaven— indulged in an hour-long debate at the India International Centre on 9 April. The verbal duel elicited gasps, boos, roaring laughter, and applause. A packed room got a flavour of the poll season at the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi.

Sahgal, who moderated the conversation, succinctly summarised her book – “to look at gen next in the age of Modi.” She profiles 14 leaders under the age of 55 years, their style of politics, and whether they have it in them to lead India.

Defending the indefensible

It all started with Sahgal asking Singhvi to share his secret list of contenders.

Singhvi gave a “candid” but semi-predictable answer, rooted in his role within the Congress party. His list included the Gandhi siblings, along with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whom he is representing in the Delhi High Court in the excise policy case. The former Rajya Sabha MP wanted to include Jyotiraditya Scindia as well but decided against it. “I believe that the BJP wants one of their own there,” he said.

The surprise in Singhvi’s list was Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Even Varma lamented the situation of Scindia, who left the Congress to join the BJP in 2020. “The temptation to make a quick deal rather than a long-term goal has put him in a situation where he is in a setup where there is a glass ceiling,” Varma said.

Singhvi called Rahul Gandhi a “much-misunderstood man”. He praised the former Congress president’s stamina, persistence, and clean image while also talking about him having “a lot of idealism”, which is “not necessarily good in Indian politics”.

Unlike Singhvi, Varma didn’t have to “defend the indefensible”.

Priyanka Gandhi, according to Varma, was “totally untested” in electoral politics and didn’t deserve to be so high up in the Congress party or even on the power list.

Ram Madhav, the RSS leader and the president of India Foundation, said that tomorrow’s leaders may not feature in anyone’s list today. He said that nobody would have imagined Kejriwal becoming a chief minister in 2010. And nobody imagined in 2011 that Modi would be such a strong and popular Prime Minister one day.

“India’s democracy has that strength (of leaders emerging from the unknown). And who has seen the future? People like Indira Gandhi, who we thought will never lose. We used to think that in 2004, BJP would suddenly come back, didn’t come back. I mean, anything can happen in a democracy,” Madhav said.

‘Congress ruled for 27 years, why not BJP’

Madhav jokingly added there was no need to look for alternatives as PM Modi is already targeting the 2047 polls. “There is no vacancy, how can you find contenders?” he said and the crowd burst into laughter.

Madhav termed the entire discussion of looking for contenders “a little premature”—similar to asking “when your father will die”.

Singhvi said he understood Madhav’s “compulsion” who can’t name anybody except “Numero Uno”.

“Congress party could rule for 27 years, give at least 27 years to BJP,” Madhav said, in response to Varma’s quip about Modi’s 2047 goal, wishing him a long life.

Kejriwal – the Pandora’s box

Among Sahgal’s list of 14 politicians, only Kejriwal has a section dedicated entirely to him. Singhvi called him the 24X7 politician who must be doing “something right” if the BJP has spent “the last year or so with the maximum focus and energies” on him and his party, the AAP. He contrasted his tenure with Sheila Dikshit’s government, which operated under both BJP and Congress at the Centre without major upheaval.

Madhav was quick to dismiss Kejriwal’s popularity, calling him “a very overrated politician” and a “darling of certain sections of the media”.

This veered the discussion toward the weaponisation of law and vendetta politics. Varma said that “33 per cent of Modi’s cabinet” have cases of cheating, dacoity, and attempt to murder filed against them but they haven’t faced a single inquiry.

“It’s a cliche now to talk about washing machines. [BJP] is a laundry factory,” Varma said.

He was supported by Singhvi, who stated that the laundry factory is “not an imagination” and warned that the weaponisation of these laws “bodes ill very seriously” for India.

Rise of dominant democracy

Madhav said democratic processes have to undergo certain changes and the way forward is not to stick to conventional political practices and “jumping up and down” when you lose elections. “While you are stuck in your caste politics, stuck in your family politics, BJP has gone far, far ahead.

“We have entered the era of dominant democracy. Today’s politics is about a dominant idea, a dominant leadership, and a dominant way of reaching the people. That is the new politics today. If you are not extant to that politics, don’t complain about Modi,” he said.