New Delhi: While the Congress is busy in damage control after its vice president Rahul Gandhi’s surprise sabbatical “for a few weeks”, many of its leaders admit in private that there is serious difference of opinion between the party president Sonia Gandhi and her son on certain issues.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi with party vice president Rahul Gandhi. PTI
The debate whether he should take over as party chief is redundant, they say. Asked if Rahul was upset because the old guard was opposing his possible elevation to the top job, a senior leader close to the developments said no opposition would work because the decision has to be taken by her mother. However, a few Sonia loyalists want her to continue at the helm as they are unsure about their role in case of change of guard.
“If Sonia wants Rahul to take over, then resistance is meaningless. No one can stop it. But it is also true that a section of party leaders wants that Madam Gandhi leads the party for some more time,” he said.
The Congress scion, as is well-known by now, is unhappy with a dominant section of the old guard, which is also close to Sonia Gandhi, opposing his idea of reforms. He wants them to either “fall in line or leave”.
“We witness a clash of two viewpoints time and again and therefore, Rahulji wants a generational change in the party during the upcoming AICC session (scheduled to take place in April). He wants full control over the party because he is held responsible for electoral debacles,” another senior leader of the party told Firstpost.
Requested to elaborate on the proposed ideas, which were rejected by the lobby close to Sonia Gandhi, he revealed, “He (Rahul Gandhi) wants elections for appointments for top posts of the party. At present, the high command makes key appointments. He also proposed elections to top posts in Congress Working Committee (CWC) instead of nominations. He introduced US-style primary election to select candidates for assembly or general elections. He wants to empower workers at grassroots level.”
“Unfortunately, all these new and innovative ideas were not welcomed by a section of our senior leaders. If he has to lead and is held accountable for the party’s losses, he should have freedom his team which can implement his ideas and remove those whom he considers a liability,” he said.
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Asked why this leave was necessary and if Rahul was planning to quit politics, he said, “No, not at all. He will utilize the sabbatical time to introspect and come up with a blue print for revival of the party ahead of the AICC session.”
Asked why this exercise was not carried out earlier following the party’s dismal show in the Lok Sabha polls, he said the Congress vice president was busy gathering and compiling feedbacks from party leaders. After that, he got busy in planning a protest against the land ordinance. Although the sit-in will now not be led or addressed by Rahul, it will be held as planned at Jantar Mantar.
But sources close to Team Sonia found Rahul’s idea to be “too radical” to implement. “There were different opinions within the party which deserved respect. The ideas put forward by Rahulji were too radical and many leaders were amused with them,” he told Firstpost.
Another veteran leader sees the Congress vice president’s sabbatical as a “tool to blackmail” the party president to accept his demands. “He went on leave at a time when the party is planning to launch a massive protest against the Modi government’s anti-farmer land ordinance. The selection of the timing gives a sense that he is trying to blackmail the leadership to accept his demands,” he added.
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