"Don't call me Yuvraj, it is insulting" refrain from Rahul Gandhi is sure now to set tongues wagging. Whether one likes it or not, there is bound to be mixed reactions to what seems to be a sincere response of a young man, trying to learn the political ropes. The hard core opponents of the Gandhi family who have a pathological hatred towards them will obviously read an ulterior motive into it. While the sycophants in the Congress, who abound, will try to work out some other way to appease him and inveigle themselves into his inner coterie.

The "Yuvraj" tag first bestowed on him with obvious contempt by BSP Chief Mayawati who finds the young Gandhi increasingly irritating, not threatening yet, was followed by a fawning description using the same word by the Tamil Nadu Congress MP, E.M.S.Natchiappan. Whatever be the emotions behind the usage of this royal metaphor, the young man's reactions shows he doesn't belong to the princely era. Yet, his acolytes and the media love to use the "prince" and "Yuvraj" epithet, and he better ignore it, now that he has made the statement forcefully about what he thinks of it.

Now this controversy may not be something to be taken with seriousness, if not for the fact that there seems to be certain disconnect between what Rahul Gandhi wants the people to take him to be and what he is taken for. Why is there this disconnect? Why is he still not taken for his words? Why do people still punch holes, nitpick, and see his statements as immature if not altogether dishonest. Why does the media which cocks a snook at him dubbing him as the leader of the "babalog", vie so furiously with one another to project him as the future leader and heir apparent?

If one goes into all these questions some answers emerge. One is that we as a people are not really averse to dynasty. But we don't want to admit it. This hypocrisy is not applicable to the millions of poor and unwashed, who ultimately line up in millions to cast their vote. It is applicable to the chattering drawing room middle class, who really don't go out to vote, but make the most noise on the mainstream media, which also increasingly reflects an upper middle class bias.

There is another problem. That is seeing the politics of the 21st century through the prism of the politics of the 1970s and 80s. The fact of the matter is that the rules of the game have changed so much since the eighties that dynastic politics is no more a simple hand me down game, which it once was. More so for the Congress party, which has come down from the unassailable position which it was in, in those decades, when Rajiv Gandhi inherited from his mother in a rather smooth transition, though under tragic circumstances.

The political scenario, into which Rahul Gandhi made his foray, is a vastly different playing field. Unlike his dad he doesn't have the advantage of a weak and doddering opposition parties. Unlike his dad, his Party is now virtually defunct in its once pocket borough, Uttar Pradesh, where he faces two powerful regional parties, with national ambitions.

While these are personal disadvantages which Rahul faces, the polity has itself changed dramatically. The post-Mandal politics has thrown up challenges to the Congress since last decade and half which the party has been unable to meet successfully. With its traditional vote base shifting to the regional parties like the Samajawadi Party, BSP, RJD, in the north and BJP making inroads in some of its traditional bastions, the Congress is facing an uphill task. Despite these obvious and glaring realities, to see Rahul Gandhi in the same light as his father or to analyse his politics comparing him with his dad, is obviously going to be misleading.

So when Rahul forays into the tribal territory and mixes with the tribals, he doesn't have the advantage which his father had. In fact the other day, in his latest tour to Chattisgarh, he had a rude reality check. None of the tribals in a particular village had heard of him nor knew who he was! Therefore, far from being a "Yuvraj", here he is just another upcoming politician trying to connect with these people, and making sense of this complex country. He therefore should know better than anyone else by now that these epithets to glorify him or put him down, has no meaning with the unwashed masses, whose support and base he is trying to regain for his party.

Even among the students with whom he spent a major part of his recent tour to Karnataka, he is no more the prince charming who can just take their support for granted, like his dad did. In this present age of information overload and should one say, "disinformation overload", there is a lot of scepticism about him and his intentions.

And finally unlike his dad who got the Prime Ministership on a platter, he is not going to get it in a hurry, despite all those shows of sycophancy or hope generated. And no one seems to know it better than Rahul himself, going by the strong backing he has given to Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh.

Obviously neither he nor his mother have any plans of toppling Dr.Singh nor sidelining him, though there are many forces both within the Congress and also the left parties who would be glad to see that happening. Meanwhile to presume that the "Yuvraj" is just waiting to take over the mantle and that it would be available for him on a platter is not only being naïve, but also "insulting" to a democratic country like ours. And thankfully the young man also is aware of it and hopefully also that he has a long way to go in a different political and social environment than what his dad faced.