Routed Cong to go for revamp in Parliament
BUZZ Rahul Gandhi, Kamal Nath are choices for Lok Sabha; Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma & Digvijaya for Rajya Sabha
NEW DELHI: After getting reduced to its lowest ever tally in Lok Sabha, the Congress is likely to finalize its leadership structure in the two Houses of Parliament soon.
While the choice for the leader of the Congress in LS veers around Rahul Gandhi and Kamal Nath, the Congress may opt between Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Digvijaya Singh to lead the party in Rajya Sabha.
The Leader of Opposition’s slot is assured for the Congress in Rajya Sabha but in Lok Sabha the party will have to wait for the Speaker’s decision to get that status.
Top Congress sources, however, added that a section of the party feels that party president Sonia Gandhi should be leader of the party in LS. Sonia was the Leader of Opposition in the 13th Lok Sabha (1999-2004) when Atal Behari Vajpayee led the government.
But with Sonia slowing handing over more responsibilities, she may not like to don the role that requires hectic political parleys with other opposition parties for floor coordination and also, regular meetings with government leaders when the House is in session.
“When the UPA was in power in 14th and 15th Lok Sabha, Gandhi did not take the role of the leader of the House but appointed Pranab Mukherjee and later Sushil Kumar Shinde for the role,” said a senior Congress man.
While Rahul Gandhi is the hot choice for the chair, particularly among the young brigade of the party, there is also a possibility that Kamal Nath may be named, keeping in mind his seniority.
In Rajya Sabha, it is almost certain that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not be seen as the leader of oppsition after he decided against running for the third term as the PM.
While Singh will remain in Rajya Sabha, the names of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma are doing the rounds. Digvijaya Singh, who joined the Upper House earlier this year, can also emerge as the choice as the Congress is poised against an upbeat BJP that alone has crossed the 272-mark in Lok Sabha.
A final call on these key posts are likely to be taken after the Congress Working Committee meeting on May 19.