Taking a swipe at the BJP and its leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has referred to himself as "Pappu" on a few occasions in recent months to drive a point that he represented a polite and civilised face of politics unlike the ruling party. But the word has stuck with for over five years.

Pappu became a mock-name for Rahul Gandhi in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP leaders, workers and a committed band of supporters made sure that even a Google search for "Pappu" returned with the profile of Rahul Gandhi. And, if one goes by the talks in reporters' corridor, the term originated in the old guard of the Congress leadership, some of whom had once welcomed Sonia Gandhi in 1998-99 as "Gudiya".

But why Pappu?

The Congress showcased Rahul Gandhi as its face of future in November 2007 at its plenary session in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium. Those who were expecting him to deliver a speech like his father Rajiv Gandhi did 22 years earlier in 1985 - on the centenary of the Congress - returned home disappointed. Rahul's speech was abstract devoid of politics. Sample this: "What, after all, is poverty," Rahul Gandhi asked a delegation of about 3000 Congress workers before answering, "A poor person is one who is denied the opportunity to become rich."

The same year, 2007, came a Bollywood film titled, Pappu Paas Ho Gaya following a two-year-old TV advertisement for a chocolate brand. It tried to change the meaning attached to old Indian nickname that carried the meaning of an innocent boy to a dumb person. In 2008, another Bollywood movie had a chartbuster song, Pappu Can't Dance Sala.

Delhi went to polls in 2008 and the Delhi Election Commission (DEC) ran an ad-campaign, Pappu Can't Vote. The DEC decided to rerun the same ad-campaign for 2009 Lok Sabha elections. This enforced the notion that "Pappus" are supposed to do idiotic things when important works are pending.

Congress Shares Blame

In the parallel world of governance, the UPA had entered the phase of "policy paralysis". Decision making had become slow and it was blamed on Rahul Gandhi's activism. Some of the senior Congress leaders made comments indicating that Rahul Gandhi was a "part-time" politician. In July 2012, Digvijay Singh - then considered as Rahul Gandhi's mentor - said, "He (Rahul) has been confining himself to student politics and youth politics. He should come into the mainstream of Congress party." Comments like this established Rahul Gandhi as an unwilling politician.

The year 2013 saw "Pappu" permanently stuck to Rahul Gandhi. He addressed the Confederation of Indian Industries on April 3, 2013 in New Delhi. That day, the top trending topic on Twitter in India was #PappuCII. The electrified IT Cell of the BJP left no stone unturned to make a "Pappu" out of Rahul Gandhi.

In October 2013, Amit Shah - best known till then as Narendra Modi's aide - referred to Rahul Gandhi as Pappu at a time when election campaign for 2014 polls was being relaunched by the BJP. He said, "The Congress thinks the prime minister's chair is Pappu's birthright. But this is a democracy, you need people's blessings, and people's blessings are with Narendra ModiWe have declared our PM candidate (Narendra Modi). Who will be the Congress candidate? Pappu? No, they won't make Pappu their candidate as they are afraid of losing."

Stamped After 2014 Loss

After the Lok Sabha elections, there was virtual revolt in the Congress with many state leaders showing their lack of faith in Rahul Gandhi. Former Congress MP Late Gufran Azam from Madhya Pradesh wrote a letter to the then party president Sonia Gandhi in July 2014. He wrote,

"All parents want their child to become a doctor or engineer. But some wishes never get fulfilled because the child is unfit. Parents simply cannot force them to be successful. You (Sonia Gandhi) wished to make him (Rahul) a leader and got 10 years for it. But you failed to make him a leader. You failed to make him learn how to deliver a speech. He failed to acquire political acumen. He remains the same. We are tired of hearing people address him as 'Pappu' and 'Munna'. We feel ashamed."

In June 2017, another Congress leader - Vinay Pradhan from Uttar Pradesh - referred to his own the then party vice-president as Pappu, although to shower praise on him. He wrote in party's local WhatsApp group: "Rahul Gandhi is also known as Pappu by a section of people in this country Pappu could have easily become the Prime Minister of this country but he did not." Pradhan was later removed from all party positions.

It is not, however, certain who used the word Pappu first to mock Rahul Gandhi. Some have attributed it to AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, who contested from Amethi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections against Rahul Gandhi. Some other have attributed the remark to self-styled godman and rape accused Asaram, who reportedly mocked Rahul Gandhi as Pappu at a public rally around 2012-13.

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