Congress to push veterans out of decision-making process In what may set off alarm bells for many powerful Congress veterans, Rahul Gandhi is learnt to be planning to introduce some drastic measures, including bringing up a new set of leaders to replace the existing ones in the decision-making process. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is all set for a major revamp with the so-called dead wood making way for a fresh crop of leaders. Most of the current set of general secretaries and other state in-charges are likely to be dropped, according to those privy to the party vice-presidents mind. This set of reforms will be implemented in the much-awaited organisational re-jig that is likely to be carried out after Maharashtra and Haryana assembly polls, according to sources. Senior leaders will be around but their role will be more of margdarshaks (guides), much like what BJP created for LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, said a leader close to the Congress vice-president. Many Nehru-Gandhi family loyalists, who stood behind Sonia even when the chips were down during Narasimha Rao period and subsequent years, would be asked to make way for the Gen Next, said sources. I am not sure whether Soniaji will agree to Rahuls proposal to dump those who made her a success story in Indian politics. Rahuls own team has virtually been running all elections since 2012 UP assembly polls. He may need to replace them first. As for us, we will accept whatever Soniaji decides. You really need some radical steps to rejuvenate the Congress at this stage and if it means retirement for us, so be it, a veteran Congress leader told HT. He added that the Congress president would ultimately go by Rahuls plan as he is the one who has to take over the reins of the party sooner or later. She may find it better to let Rahul make the changes he wants while she is at the helm, said an AICC functionary. Rahuls close aides argued that he never got a free hand in any elections when it came to allotment of tickets or formulating poll strategies. Seniors always managed to have their way, said a young Congress functionary, pointing out how Bhupinder Singh Hooda got the final say in the selection of candidates in Haryana in this election. Party veterans contended that even if Rahul decided to go for a drastic organisational overhaul- poore ghar ke badal daloonga- where are the leaders? His close aide Madhusudan Mistry, in charge of UP, drew a blank in the Lok Sabha election. Another aide Mohan Prakash has the record of finishing the party in every state that was put under his charge, be it Gujarat, J-K or Maharashtra. Both Soniaji and Rahul talk about the partys utter failure to communicate to people but who has been in charge of the media department? That is Rahuls close aide Ajay Maken, said a general secretary. Rahuls experiments in state units have not been much of a success either. While Rajasthan PCC chief Sachin Pilot salvaged his reputation in the recent assembly bypolls, his counterparts in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, Ashok Tanwar and Arun Yadav, have not been able to make any impact. Similarly, Rahul had appointed PCC chief to zonal chiefs in UP but they have only presided over the partys decimation. For long, we have been blamed for the state of affairs in the Congress. Let him (Rahul) take charge and turn it around. He will get our full cooperation, said a party veteran.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 11:38:52 +0000
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