It is elementary, my dear RaGa!

Turning point in a story or a play is the observable moment when there is a definite change in direction and one becomes aware that it is now about to move towards its end.

It was said the other day that the Congress attained that definitive moment in its existence when leaders of about 15 parties gathered with him at a press conference in the Parliament.

The Congress leadership was closely watching the moment. There was Rahul Gandhi leading the unbelievably united Opposition to take on the BJP leadership, especially, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on the issue of demonetisation that has been rocking the Parliament throughout the winter session.

The issue began in a trifle subdued manner with only the Trinamool Congress Chief, Mamata Banerjee, taking the government to cudgels for announcing the demonetisation. She proclaimed that this had to be rolled back come what may.

She said she would not rest till it was done as common man was being subjected to innumerable hardships.

The Left parties criticised not the move as such but the preparations that went with it, leading to huge discomfort to the people.

There was some wavering on their part but they soon kept silent on it. The BSP and the SP leaderships too were vehement in their opposition to the same, as they saw foul-play in it, as it came just ahead of the Assembly elections in UP where they had their every stake and fearing it could deal a blow to their prospects.

Soon Mamata became the centrifugal force hobnobbing with the likes of Arvind Kejriwal and the Left leaders. As Modi kept speaking about it everywhere except in the Parliament, the Opposition got rankled and started closing their ranks.

In between the nation witnessed Rahul Gandhi queuing up in front of ATMs' in Delhi and Mumbai to declare his solidarity to the suffering masses.

One fine day, Rahul Gandhi laid his hands on some documents he claimed had earth-shattering information regarding Modi's corruption. It would lead to a "Bhoo Chaal" (earth quake) he said if he were to disclose the same in the Parliament.

Though a bit wary of his claims, the Opposition that could not accept Mamata Benerjee as their peer in this particular struggle, slowly, but steadily, moved closer to the Congress agreeing to heed its call for protests in and out of the Parliament.

The defining moment came when RaGa was seen conducting leaders of around 15 parties to the press conference two days ago.

The Congress leaders were happy that the scion of the Gandhi-Nehru family could turn into an acceptable leader to one and all. Because, that was his problem from the beginning.

Sonia Gandhi is known to be trusted by the leaders in the political spectrum across the nation including her own party and could be dealt with by the Opposition.

Doing business with Rahul has always been perceived as difficult because of his whimsical ways and unknown capabilities.

So, when the moment much awaited by the Congress came, as has been felt, there was satisfaction all over in the Congress.

Some of the seniors remarked "finally, it is Rahul's era now. The other day he chaired the Parliamentarians meet of the party in the absence of his ailing mother.

Today he is leading the entire Opposition. Yes, he is being trusted now. After all, only Congress has the capacity to take on the BJP or Modi in the country".

The Congress-led march to Rashtrapati Bhavan took a hit due to the meet. Left parties, SP, BSP and NCP quickly dropped out of the protest march. Only Trinamool, JD(U) and RJD marched with the Congress to protest notes ban.

Rahul Gandhi's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning, however, dealt a big blow to the carefully crafted opposition unity that held fast through the winter session of Parliament, just ahead of a Congress-led march today to presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in protest against the notes ban.

The Left parties, the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, the Nationalist Congress Party headed by Sharad Pawar and the DMK in quick succession dropped out of the protest march to meet the President, minutes before it was to begin from the Gandhi statue on the parliament premises.

They were upset that the Congress Vice-President sought a meeting with the Prime Minister without involving the other opposition parties.

At the meeting, Gandhi, who was accompanied by senior leaders of his party, raised with the Prime Minister the plight of farmers who he met during a tour of Uttar Pradesh while campaigning in the state, where elections would be held soon.

Whether or not this moment formed the edge or turn in the incline of RaGa's fortunes on that day and on that minute to launch him into the political orbit necessary for him to stay floating towards the right direction, his move to meet the Prime Minister on the last day of the session certainly did affect his move.

First of all, no one in the Opposition was ready to believe that he had that explosive information with him which "he wanted to present only in the Parliament if given a chance to speak (by the by who gave him a chance to disrupt the House?).

Secondly, if the Opposition leaders had any illusions that Rahul Gandhi was maturing in the right way by talking to and taking along everyone as it should be, they were proved wrong.

Everyone was getting prepared to march to the President along with RaGa and Sonia Gandhi but the one-upmanship of the Congress in unilaterally deciding to meet the Prime Minister to highlight farmers' plight in Uttar Pradesh was really quirky.

What would one do meeting the Prime Minister? Appeal to him or request him to come to the rescue of farmers in UP? The idea may have sounded great to the Congress counting on the farmer's votes in UP in the upcoming Assembly elections.

But why should it interest others who have no stakes in UP at all? Also why would they ever attempt diverting the attention of the nation from the demonetisation issue.

A fear that was lurking was whether it would be prudent to unitedly approach the very Prime Minister whom they were treating as pariah and seeking an apology from became apparent.

A question that everyone could then be asking is why cannot they agree to discuss the demonetisation issue that is affecting everybody in the country?

Sherlockians understand that the famous detective never said "it is elementary, my dear Watson." But he conveyed it as much in all the 56 short stories and four novels. In the ‘Adventure of the Crooked Man,’ Homes uses both the word “Elementary” and the phrase, “my dear Watson,” in somewhat close proximity: “I have the advantage of knowing your habits, my dear Watson,” said

he. “When your round is a short one you walk, and when it is a long one you use a hansom. As I perceive that your boots, although used, are by no means dirty, I cannot doubt that you are at present busy enough to justify the hansom.” “Excellent!” I cried.

“Elementary,” said he. Perhaps that is what the Opposition thought today when RaGa planned his PM meet. The result - when Sonia Gandhi goes to meet the President on demonetisation she finds in her company only the leaders of TMC, JD(U) and RJD.

The session has ended and so has the political unity!