NEW DELHI: He could be building his strength for future political debates or he could just be more comfortable silently watching proceedings from the middle benches -- take your pick.But after a spectacular political debut, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son Rahul has been one of the quietest and most low profile MPs in parliament. He has only been seen -- not so regularly either -- but not heard since he read out his oath or allegiance while formally signing up as a member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.A good likeness of his father, the slain former premier Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul enters the house quietly in his white kurta-pyjama and sports shoes, but a low buzz in the press and viewers' gallery almost always signals his arrival.Like any average MP, he scouts around for space to sit, declining offers of a seat by members much older than him, and quickly slides into the one most easily available.Sometimes, he strikes up a conversation with the person next to him. Or completely ignores another MP who has just inched closer at finding himself fortunate to be Rahul's neighbour for the hour.With a headpiece covering his ears for a louder and clearer rendition of the proceedings, the 33-year-old does take down notes at times. He rarely betrays emotion, but often smiles at Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's witticisms and frowns at the rain of opposition charges."He is closely observing how the house functions and how veteran politicians conduct themselves," said a Congress MP known to be close to the Nehru-Gandhi family.He pointed out that Rahul was somewhat preoccupied with his new home in Tughlaq Lane, which he planned to make a durbar for people of his Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh."He is very sharp and nothing misses his eye inside parliament," he said. But the outside world knows nothing of that, getting to see little beneath the enigmatic and quiet surface for the first term MP has not revealed his cards, so to speak.After whetting the appetite of the media and political watchers with a surfeit of interviews, emotional confessions and bright salvos during his debut electoral campaign, the scion of India's foremost political dynasty has fallen silent.Those who have sat with Rahul on the Lok Sabha benches from time to time offer glimpses of the first few weeks of his fledgling parliamentary career."He was very attentive, concerned and sincere," said an MP who sat next to him last week.When the opposition started shouting against "tainted" ministers and the sacking of governors appointed by it, Rahul muttered how everyone could be happy if they only listened to each other instead of shouting incessantly.He thumps the desk readily when it comes to rallying around the declarations of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). But once, when Finance Minister P. Chidambaram announced the revival of the Rajiv Gandhi drinking water mission after many years, Rahul, perhaps moved, kept still as others thumped their approval.In the past weeks, the young Gandhi has only added fuel to speculation that he is building a dream team to revive the party.In trying to build a rapport with other political children like him, he made a surprise call to fellow MP Jyotiraditya Scindia one evening and went to dinner with him.He also impressed party colleagues Sachin Pilot, son of the late Rajesh Pilot, and Jitin Prasada, son of late Jitendra Prasada, with his knowledge of heartland politics and thirst to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh.
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