There appears to be a rising chorus from within the state units of the Congress party seeking the return of Rahul Gandhi as Congress president. A day after the Rajasthan unit of the Congress passed a resolution asking Rahul Gandhi to take charge as the party president, the Pradesh Congress Committees of Chhattisgarh and Gujarat followed suit on Sunday.
Justifying the resolution passed by the state unit, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that while the media may have been saying that he is unwilling to take over the reins of the party, there is nothing Rahul Gandhi has indicated to this effect himself.
Also Read| Congress president or not, Rahul will always have pre-eminent place in party: P Chidambaram
“Media says this (that Rahul is not inclined to be the Congress president). But Rahulji has not said anything,” adding that if more states pass similar resolutions, Rahul should do a re-think taking into account the “sentiments of party workers”.
The developments assume significance in view of the approaching deadline for the poll process, the first in Congress in 22 years, to officially begin. The party has also used this election to portray that internal democracy exists and the control does not only rest with the Gandhi family.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi dilemma continues in Congress, loyalists mount pressure on him to take charge
The elections for the Congress president come in the backdrop of several of its senior leaders questioning the control and leadership of the Gandhi family, especially in view of the successive electoral defeats and high-profile exits. Seen as a counter to the questions of transparency and fairness being raised against it, the chorus for Rahul’s return suggests otherwise.
In an interview to news agency PTI, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said Rahul will always have a “pre-eminent place” irrespective of whether he is the president or not. “Rahul Gandhi is the acknowledged leader of the rank and file of the party. They want him to be the president. So far, he has declined. He may change his mind,” Chidambaram said.
Jairam Ramesh, another senior Congress leader and general secretary in-charge of communications, had similarly backed “consensus” in selecting the new AICC chief while underlining the “prominence” of the Nehru-Gandhi family in organisational matters in any emerging situation.
Even though the Congress election committee maintains that the resolutions and remarks will have no bearing on the poll process, the concern that these developments have the potential to undermine or influence the elections may not be entirely misplaced.