New Delhi, Dec 28 : As 2025 draws to a close, Rahul Gandhi finds himself confronting perhaps the most unsettling phase of his political career. The Congress leader has weathered many storms before, but the developments of this year carry the potential to force a serious internal reckoning within the grand old party -- one that strikes at the very heart of its leadership structure.

Rahul Gandhi may never have imagined that a routine foreign trip and his absence from a Parliament session could trigger turbulence not from political opponents, but from within his own party. His frequent overseas visits have long been a point of criticism, but this time the consequences have gone beyond predictable BJP attacks and entered the far more dangerous territory of internal comparison and open questioning.

Gandhi travelled to Germany on December 17, even as Parliament was in session, for a three-day visit at the invitation of the Progressive Alliance -- a network of 117 progressive political parties worldwide. Predictably, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused him of engaging with elements holding an "anti-India agenda".

The Congress and its allies rushed to defend him, insisting that foreign travel was no crime and that global outreach was part of opposition politics.

That defence, however, missed the larger point. Rahul Gandhi's physical absence from Parliament created a political vacuum, and nature -- especially politically oriented -- abhors a vacuum. Into that space stepped Priyanka Gandhi Vadra inadvertently.

Priyanka's presence during the Winter Session did not go unnoticed. The buzz around her has always existed, but this time it was sharper, louder, and more consequential. Her conduct inside and outside Parliament sent subtle but unmistakable signals. Unlike her brother, she appeared relaxed, approachable, and politically agile in her interactions -- even with BJP leaders.

Her decision to attend the customary tea hosted by the Speaker after the session ended was particularly striking. While Rahul Gandhi and several opposition leaders had earlier chosen to boycott such gatherings, Priyanka participated without hesitation. Images and videos of her sharing tea and laughter quickly went viral. Seated next to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, alongside Speaker Om Birla and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she looked every bit the insider -- comfortable, confident, and visible.

This optics mattered. And all took the necessary notice.

Soon after, the Congress leaders began saying the quiet part out loud. Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood, known to be close to Rahul Gandhi, publicly described Priyanka Gandhi as a potential prime ministerial candidate and compared her to Indira Gandhi.

If that was not enough, veteran leader Digvijaya Singh delivered a far more direct message. On December 27, during a meeting of the party's Working Committee, Singh shared a black-and-white photograph of a young Narendra Modi seated on the floor near L.K. Advani at a public event in Gujarat, reportedly from the 1996 swearing-in ceremony of Shankersinh Vaghela as Chief Minister.

Singh's accompanying message was unambiguous. He praised the organisational strength of the RSS and BJP, noting how grassroots workers could rise to occupy the highest constitutional offices.

"This is the power of the organisation," he wrote, signing off with "Jai Siya Ram".

For a Congress leader of Singh's stature, this was nothing short of a political grenade lobbed at the party's high command. The message echoed the long-suppressed frustrations articulated earlier by the G-23 group and later by Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had openly questioned Rahul Gandhi's leadership and hinted that Priyanka Gandhi might be better suited to steer the party.

That Singh chose this moment was no coincidence. The Congress was simultaneously celebrating its 140th Foundation Day. At the party headquarters in Delhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi stood together, smiling for the cameras and greeting workers. The public display of unity, however, could not conceal the undercurrent of discontent. Remarks like Singh's inevitably lingered in the air, unspoken but deeply felt.

The larger question now confronting the Congress is unavoidable: Will 2025 finally force a genuine course correction? Among supporters and political observers, there is little disagreement that the party is in deep trouble. And increasingly, the blame is being laid not at the door of Mallikarjun Kharge, the nominal president, but squarely at Rahul Gandhi and his leadership style.

Electoral failures continue to pile up. The Bihar Assembly elections and the much-hyped SIR activism have exposed the party's strategic emptiness. Rahul Gandhi launched the SIR campaign with dramatic rhetoric, alleging massive "vote chori" after a fiery press conference in Delhi. The campaign was meant to be backed by sustained ground mobilisation in Bihar. Instead, it collapsed spectacularly.

The Congress not only suffered a humiliating defeat but also contributed to a significant setback for its ally, Tejashwi Yadav's RJD. The Opposition now has just 35 MLAs in the state, with the Congress reduced to a paltry six. What was projected as a revival moment turned into another self-inflicted wound.

Yet the most troubling aspect is not defeat -- it is denial. There is little introspection, no admission of strategic failure, and no willingness to course correction. Instead, the leadership continues to deflect blame, targeting election authorities and the ruling party while refusing to confront its own shortcomings.

Rahul Gandhi and his inner circle appear intent on constructing a parallel reality, one where accountability is optional and electoral rejection is always someone else's fault. Following the SIR debacle, the party has now latched onto the MGNREGAâ??G RAM G issue, hoping to manufacture momentum.

Whether this will resonate with voters remains doubtful. What is clear, however, is that 2025 has exposed a leadership crisis that Congress can no longer ignore. The question is not whether the party needs a change, but whether it has the courage to confront it.

(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)

/IANS