Congress set for internal rejig
NEW DELHI: The Congress appears to have responded to calls from its rank and file to initiate organisational changes and fix responsibility for a string of electoral losses since the 2014 national elections.
It has slowly begun the process of restructuring — evident from the sacking of party general secretary Digvijaya Singh as its in-charge in Goa.
The party won the most seats in the April-May assembly elections, but couldn’t collect any allies to unseat the BJP from power in the small western state.
Such action from the high command, replacing a senior functionary on state leaders’ demand, is rare in the Congress. But then, the party leadership is facing wide criticism for its indecisiveness, breakdown of the decision-making process, and failure to react to crisis situations, especially after the worst drubbing in the 2014 elections.
Singh’s ouster is seen as a message that the leadership won’t hesitate to act tough, whenever the need arises to hold senior functionaries accountable.
Singh, a former Madhya Pradesh CM, lost charge of Karnataka as well. That was apparently done on the request of state leaders and legislators, who complained against his work style. Dissent could trip the party’s chances of retaining power in the southern state that votes in AprilMay next year.
NEW DELHI: The new All India Congress Committee (AICC) president should be appointed through consensus and not election as it helps to bind the party and Rahul Gandhi is certainly up to it, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Sunday.
He also said it was up to Sonia Gandhi whether she will continue as party chief for another term and the party will be happy if she decides so.
Amarinder, however, favoured projection of regional leaders in Congress and making them the party’s face in each state ahead of assembly elections. “Elections are always bitter and consensus keeps the party together. There should be a consensus on the party president. You don’t have any bad blood. It is all happening in a happy way,” he told PTI in an interview.
The organisational election process within the Congress is underway and the new party chief has to be elected by October 15.
On Sonia Gandhi, he said it will be entirely her call on whether to continue for another term till 2019. “She has worked very hard. If she wants to stay, I think the party will be too happy. If she wants to go, I think Rahul is in a position to take over ... . As party vice-president, I have been dealing with him for 2-3 years, I find that he is certainly up to it,” he said.
He, however, said his impression is that she feels she has done enough. She has not had time off for the last 20 years, which is a long time, ever since she took over as party chief in 2017, Amarinder said.
Asked whether he prefers someone other than a member of the Gandhi family to lead the party, he said traditionally the Congress has been headed by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
“I am going to vote for Rahul. Who else do we have?” he said. Asked what is holding Rahul back from taking over, the Punjab CM said he is already going
AMARINDER, HOWEVER, FAVOURED PROJECTION OF REGIONAL LEADERS IN CONG AND MAKING THEM THE PARTY’S FACE IN EACH STATE AHEAD OF ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
through the process. “I think one must not write off Rahul. People are trying to write him off. They are trying to fob him off, calling him childish names. That is unnecessary. I think he is very perceptive and very decisive,” Amarinder said.
On promoting regional talent within the party, Amarinder said every state has regional leaders unlike in the past and the Congress has to project them ahead of elections, as people these days vote for a face.
He said all states have regional parties and regional leaders and everyone knows if they win, who will be the chief minister. This was not the case earlier when it was the Jan Sangh or Congress.
“So you should have to have a face. The Congress must come down to this point. If Himachal Pradesh is tomorrow, then who is the face? This is very important today,” he said and cited his own case.
Amarinder said India has so many problems and people are hoping for somebody who does better and if one does not deliver, they choose the other the next time. He also cited Arvind Kejriwal’s example, whose party was rejected by voters in the civic polls in Delhi.
“You see Mr Kejriwal being pushed out. Because they feel he has not delivered. So delivery is important,” he said.