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  India   Despite rout, Congress wants Rahul Gandhi to lead

Despite rout, Congress wants Rahul Gandhi to lead

Published : May 21, 2016, 6:08 am IST
Updated : May 21, 2016, 6:08 am IST

The Congress is not ready to give up on the Gandhis.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi (Photo: PTI)
 Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi (Photo: PTI)

The Congress is not ready to give up on the Gandhis. Instead, after Thursday’s humiliating electoral defeats in Assam and Kerala, there was a chorus in the party on Friday to promote party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to the helm of affairs and cleanse the organisation of leaders above the age of 60 years.

The Congress may go in for an AICC reshuffle in a couple of months. Most of the AICC general secretaries are over 60 years, including Digvijay Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Mohan Prakash, Gurudas Kamat, Madhusudan Mistry and Mukul Wasnik. AICC treasurer Motilal Vohra is 88 years old.

Digvijay Singh, who created a controversy by saying the party did not need introspection but “surgery”, later indicated that “surgery” stood for drastic changes in the organisation, including a generational shift.

Amidst speculation that Mr Rahul Gandhi is set to replace his mother, Sonia Gandhi, as party president, Mr Singh on Friday said it was time for the younger generation to take over.

He rooted for “fresh ideas and a fresh functioning style to revive the party”, adding, “We have to look at the present scenario, and also at what should be our organisational structure, our campaign strategy, media strategy, role of social media, and on building leadership.”

The Congress’ face in Punjab, PCC chief Capt. Amarinder Singh, also wanted Mr Gandhi to take charge of the party. The party feels that the “old guard” has to go and make way for young Turks like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, among others, in the central leadership.

Speaking to a TV channel on Friday, Mr Digvijay Singh compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Rahul Gandhi. “The difference between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi is that Mr Narendra Modi has got the gift of the gab,” Mr Singh said. When asked whether the gift was missing in Mr Gandhi, the Congress general secretary quickly added: “Even Indira Gandhi was never a great speaker, even Jawaharlal Nehru. But Indira Gandhi and Nehru had the vision — when they spoke, everyone listened. As far as Rahul Gandhi is concerned, he is developing.”

In the past the Congress’ poor performance had raised a similar demand for the elevation of Mr Rahul Gandhi. “The wish of the Congress workers and leaders is that Rahulji should take over. The process of his elevation cannot be stopped,” party general secretary P.C. Chacko said.

Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi