Where is dynasty, asks Cong

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s sarcastic attack on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) for "dynastic" politics of twisting policies to suit "one family" during his Telangana tour prompted the Congress to justify his remarks and assert that the charge of dynasty on it has lost its logic.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a senior advocate, asked the media at an AICC press briefing to better look at details instead of getting carried away by the charge dusted off by the BJP from time to time, asserting that it is just a "bugbear" like Article 370 and Ayodhya.

He said it is the same BJP who constantly raises the issue of "dynasty" but forgets to see it in Akali Dal and Shiv Sena, its two longest allies. Media thought he was just making a counter charge until he came out with the assertion that there has been "no Gandhi" in power in the government for the past 29 years since after Rajiv Gandhi was out as the Prime Minister.

"The Congress has been in power for 16 of these 29 years and despite it getting elected again and again, no Gandhi took the office. This is dynasty for you," Singhvi said, pointing out that Sonia re-contested and won "despite our advice" on the office of profit issue but never sought the office (of Prime Minister).

Other party leaders said the entire party wanted Sonia Gandhi to take the reins of the government after ousting the Vajpayee government in 2004 elections but she declined and persuaded Dr Manmohan Singh to be the prime minister just because she wanted to put an end to this false cry of "dynastic rule." She preferred to better nurse the Congress as its president and she did not even allow Rahul become a minister in the UPA government, they added.

That Rahul chose to pull the particular arrow of "dynasty" from his quiver certainly came as a surprise to many Congress leaders while many including the Chief Minister’s relatives reached for a pot-kettle analogy.

KCR himself tweeted: "Indian Notional Congress leadership talking of ''family rule'' has to be the joke of the millennium. Classic comedy!"