Only if Rahul unites the opposition.

TWO instructive approaches are currently underway to rein in or dislodge autocratic governments in high-profile neighbourhoods. The first method can be glimpsed in the popular movement that has grown into a huge challenge for Prime Minister Netanyahu's bid to put Israel's judiciary on a political leash, at least partly to evade trial and possible conviction for alleged bribery. As street protests grew, the defence minister warned against subverting the judiciary's independence. Netanyahu summarily dismissed him. Now, Israel's president is supporting the protesters.

The other method to usher change is visible in Turkiye, where perennially quarrelling opposition rivals have coalesced to defeat President Erdogan single-mindedly in elections due in May. There's a fair chance they could regain for Turkiye its fabled secularism. There have been violent methods also that have succeeded or failed to upend usurpers, but we are concerned with peaceful options available to India.

Which brings us to Rahul Gandhi's expulsion from parliament last week with the help of a Surat magistrate in Gujarat, who found him guilty of defaming the name Modi and handed a two-year maximum jail sentence to the Congress scion. A two-year conviction mandates the expulsion of members from legislative houses. That the putative remarks relate to a speech Gandhi apparently made in faraway Karnataka during the 2019 general elections, and that the trial and conviction were carried out in Modi's home state, is noteworthy. It's unlikely that the magistrate unknowingly convicted Gandhi for all of two years, the maximum for defamation, unaware that a day less would have pre-empted his expulsion from the Lok Sabha.

Could the perceptibly harsh measure become the spark that galvanises the opposition, or provides the glue to cement parties that have not always seen eye to eye with the Congress? The answer can be yes or no.

Could Rahul Gandhi's expulsion become the spark that galvanises the opposition?

An early problem potentially is Rahul Gandhi's idea of himself. He positions himself as a peaceful campaigner for the truth - stressing he is not Savarkar, Hindutva's founding father, who tendered numerous apologies to colonial rulers to gain freedom from prison. Rather, he is a Gandhi - unafraid to face any adversity, goes the claim, with truth as his shield, his weapon. Rahul says he will not apologise or grovel, come what may, to defend democracy. To many, it's a resume to promote mind...