Coming soon - web series satire on Rahul, Sonia's 'putra moh'

New Delhi : A long time loyalist of the Gandhi family has hit out at the Congress top brass for the party's decline and is producing a web series to highlight the alleged "failures" of Rahul Gandhi.

Pankaj Shankar, a former journalist with years of association with the Congress and the Gandhis, said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alone can revive the Congress' fortunes but Sonia Gandhi's "putra moh" (love for the son) is standing in the way of her daughter's elevation in the Congress hierarchy.

"The web series is my attempt to hold up a mirror to the Congress leadership and tell them that the reality is far removed from what they perceive," said Shankar, who managed media activities for AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the recent general elections and runs a WhatsApp group on her engagements.

When asked about it, Congress chief spokespersn Randeep Singh Surjewala, however, asserted that Shankar has never worked for either Sonia Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. He has not been associated with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and is not in her office, Surjewala said.

"He has said something in individual capacity. It remains to be seen if he has done it for headlines, in complicity with the BJP government or for publicity," the spokesperson said.

Shankar said he is working on a 13-episode web series to highlight the "shortcomings" of Rahul Gandhi during his 15 year-stint in the Congress from 2004 to 2019.

Production of the series, which will feature professional artistes, will start over the next fortnight and it will be ready to air on premium web channels in three months, Shankar told PTI on Sunday.

He said the series could be converted into a biopic but did not elaborate further. "The web series will ask searching questions concerning the Congress. It will feature anecdotes and events to mirror the role the coterie has played in pushing the party to a cliff," Shankar said, adding he has employed satire and humour to drive home the point. "No one has ever showed a mirror to the Gandhis yet," he said.

He stressed that a strong opposition is the need of the hour and the Congress alone could stand up to the BJP. He, however, lamented that while "everyone in the Congress believes Priyanka can turn things around, she is being prevented from taking the centre stage."

"The leadership role could have been handed over to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who has the personality and abilities to infuse life into the party and bring it out of its present state but Rahul is not letting that happen. Sonia Gandhi's love for the son is a major hurdle," he added.

Shankar alleged that the Congress has failed to evolve with the changing times and is "paying the price." "Being a creative person, the only way to communicate with the party leadership is through this piece of art with fictional creativity," Shankar said. The series will highlight how Congress leaders have "ignored" the voice of the common man and inputs from party sympathizers".

Shankar, who has been a documentary film maker, says the production revolves around three characters – an ardent woman fan of Rahul Gandhi who has left no stone unturned to tell him of his shortcomings and suggest remedies, a female reporter who is also a party sympathizer and a rustic TV reporter from a mofussil town who narrates key events.