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Congress recast — radical shift or old script?

NEW DELHI: In a repeat of May 19, 2014, events that followed Congress’ historic debacle, the Congress Working Committee met here today and rejected party president Rahul Gandhi’s offer to resign, authorising him for a complete overhaul and restructuring.



Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 25

In a repeat of May 19, 2014, events that followed Congress’ historic debacle, the Congress Working Committee met here today and rejected party president Rahul Gandhi’s offer to resign, authorising him for a complete overhaul and restructuring.

While the 2014 CWC resolution authorised then party president Sonia Gandhi to carry out a “thorough party revamp at all levels”, today’s resolution authorised Rahul Gandhi to do so. The party deflected the query as to what it was that Rahul could not do after he became Congress vice-president in 2013 that he would do now.

Even before he assumed full Congress presidency in December 2017, Rahul was involved in the party affairs as Sonia delegated all powers to him. A usual refrain between 2013 and December 2017 was the existence of dual power centres. Post December 2017, Rahul took control of the party with Sonia withdrawing completely from the scene. She hardly entertained appointments, leaving everything to her son. In the 2019 elections, neither Sonia nor former PM Manmohan Singh campaigned.

Everything — from poll preparations, ticket distribution to strategising and campaigning – was left to Rahul who failed to ensure Leader of Opposition position for the party in the Lok Sabha. “Rahul Gandhi had all the time to do what he wanted. Starting January 2013, he as de facto Congress president effectively took decisions while Sonia Gandhi transferred powers to him. What new restructuring can he do?,” a Congress veteran remarked.

Expectations in the party are huge as cadres are shaken, demoralised. Rahul’s idea of mooting a non- Gandhi Congress president at the CWC meeting and insistence on being left free to further the party’s ideology and vision of an inclusive, liberal and plural India could be part of the “restructuring” the CWC mentions, though no one confirms this officially.

“Rahul Gandhi today proposed a non-Gandhi Congress president. He said he would like to dedicate himself full time to the party ideology. The CWC acknowledged his remarks with some leaders recalling how the Congress has had several non-Gandhi chiefs. The unanimity however was that today was not the day for him to quit though he may lay the foundation for the change he wants to usher,” a CWC source said.

The Congress officially refused to comment on indications that Rahul remained insistent on vacating the post of Congress chief. During the CWC discussions, references were made to how the RSS was the ideological fountainhead of the BJP while the BJP was a political and election machine.

“There was thinking on the part of Congress chief regarding the need for an ideological outreach wing for the party which should have people who won’t enter electoral politics and will only propagate Congress ideology. He may well explore these radical changes after the CWC endorsement of sweeping changes, who knows,” said a leader privy to the discussions.

Another veteran leader said one restructuring option could be constitution of an overarching Congress steering committee, a sort of presidium, with Rahul at its head and a non-Gandhi party president. “Such major restructuring would need amendments to the Congress constitution which puts party president above everyone else,” said a source.

Whether today’s developments lend themselves into old familiar scripts or new trails in a party held by the Gandhis since 1998, only time will tell.

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