For a party that’s constantly ridiculed for its organisational inertia and fading electoral relevance, the Congress, or at least its high command, sure knows how to ride the headlines. Even before the cacophony of journalistic guesswork over the turmoil within the party’s ranks in Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and other states could end with some clarity on the fate of warring factions, the Congress’s first family, on July 13, triggered an even louder political hubbub over their sudden meeting with election strategist Prashant Kishor. Kishor, who until a fortnight ago was being projected by a section of the media as the Grand Wazir employed by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to explore the prospects of a Congress-less federal front against the BJP, held an over two-hour-long meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Harish Rawat were also present at the meeting that took place at Rahul’s Tughlaq Lane residence. Sources say interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too joined the interaction through video conference.