Rahul reluctant to return as Cong chief; Plan B on cards
NEW DELHI: If there’s one message that Rahul Gandhi’s previously unannounced overseas visit has sent to many in the Congress leadership, it is that he isn’t keen on returning as party president, a post he gave up in May 2019 after its general election debacle. Hindustan Times spoke to several Congress leaders, some of them part of his core group, about the party’s plans to appoint a permanent president. Two of them confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to return to the post and that attempts were being made to change his mind. A third leader said it was more or less certain now that he wouldn’t return as Congress chief anytime soon.
Rahul Gandhi flew to an undisclosed destination abroad on Sunday, the eve of the Congress’s 136th anniversary and at a time when thousands of farmers have massed on Delhi’s borders in protest against a set of contentious laws aimed at opening up agricultural markets.
Congress has hit back at the BJP for mocking Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visit as the party celebrated its 136th foundation day. Congress leader KC Venugopal said that the BJP leaves no opportunity to target Rahul Gandhi. ‘Rahul Gandhi has gone to see his grandmother. Is it wrong? Everybody has the right to undertake personal visits,’ KC Venugopal said. He further added that Rahul Gandhi is not the party president still he has participated in all events that the party requested him to. ‘BJP is indulging in low-level politics. They are targeting Rahul Gandhi because they want to target only one leader,’ Venugopal added. BJP had mocked the former Congress president’s foreign visit a day ahead of the party’s 136th foundation day event.
The visit also preceded the expected start of the process of electing a permanent Congress president next month to relieve his mother Sonia Gandhi of her responsibilities as interim chief.
It has been 18 months now that India’s oldest political party has been in a state of flux. While Sonia Gandhi agreed to take over as interim chief, her poor health has been a cause of concern. The party said it would begin the internal elections process after 23 senior politicians in August demanded an overhaul of the party. Signatories to the letter included MPs Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, his deputy Anand Sharma, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh and former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan.
When party general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said this month that 99.9% of the Congress rank and file want Rahul Gandhi back as president, it upset those who had been seeking a transparent, democratic system.
“Senior leaders are trying to convince him. They have all spoken with Mrs. {Sonia} Gandhi to try to change his mind, but we can say that he is reluctant,’’ said one person aware of development. Those who back Rahul Gandhi’s return to the helm argue that no one other than a Gandhi can keep the party united. These include senior leaders Ambika Soni, Harish Rawat and AK Antony, who asked Gandhi to return even at a December 19 meeting with representatives of the letter writers who demanded an overhaul Just in case Rahul Gandhi doesn’t relent, Hindustan Times learns,a Plan B is also being discussed within the party.