Wait in queue, Gehlot tells Cong gennext

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has cautioned his young party colleagues to stay in the queue and not try to jump it, saying those who “break the line” will ultimately finish their career. The remarks of Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister and a Congress general secretary, came at a time when he is locked in an internal tussle with state chief Sachin Pilot over the leadership issue ahead of the crucial assembly elections. “Rahul Gandhi wants the new leadership to emerge but the young leaders should learn to wait in the queue and not try to jump it,” he told HT in an interview.

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has cautioned young party colleagues to stay in the queue and not try to jump it, warning those who “break the line” that they risked a premature end to their political career.

The remarks of Gehlot, 66, a former Rajasthan chief minister, come at a time when he is locked in an internal tussle with party state chief Sachin Pilot, 40, over the leadership issue ahead of the crucial assembly elections. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday appointed Gehlot as general secretary in charge of organisation and training.

Along with the appointment of Gehlot, Gandhi also made other key organisational changes, handing charge of Odisha and Gujarat to young leaders Jitendra Singh and Rajeev Satav, respectively.

“Rahul Gandhi wants the new leadership to emerge but the young leaders should learn to wait in the queue and not try to jump it,” Gehlot told Hindustan Times in an interview on Thursday.

“Then only, they will become the real leaders. If they try to break the line, they will be finished,” he said.

The old guard in the Congress has been feeling increasingly anxious about their future role in the organisation since Gandhi took over as the party chief in December last year.

For his part, Gandhi has repeatedly sought to reassure the seniors that a possible generational shift and proposed reforms in the organisational structure will not render them irrelevant in the party. He has often said that seniors and the GenNext will have to work together to revive the Congress.

“Rahul Gandhi has maintained that he will use the experience of seniors and energy of young leaders in reviving the Congress,” Gehlot said.