If there has been a constant accusation against the Gandhis, it is that they have always surrounded themselves with a clique of triple A rated allies, aides and advisers. While the existence of this inner circle has been continuous, the members have fluctuated throughout Over the years, their combined waning political acumen and mass support may reflect the fate of the Congress party.
This inner circle is structured like a solar system. The influence of these members on decision-making depends on their closeness to the Gandhis, as their political careers depend on orbiting the bright star of the party at that time. But the fading light of the current leadership, Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, has meant that Congress now has two stars, and the ones that orbit around each of them have dwindled over the years, though some overlap.
As the current interim president, Sonia Gandhi continues to put her trust in the old guard, surrounding herself with respected leaders like Manmohan Singh and former Defense Minister AK Antony, as well as people like Ambika Soni and the powerful party treasurer Ahmed Patel, who have Ha She has been a part of her field since she first took office as head of Congress in 1998. Rounding out this group is Suman Dubey, who was a close friend of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and was a founding member of the charitable organization on his behalf.
However, a high-ranking leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad, whose unlikely mutiny against the leadership of Congress added weight to the ‘Group of 23’ rebellion, is no longer in this exclusive club despite being a Gandhi loyalist. for almost four decades. Also watching from the sidelines will be other dissidents such as Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma and Veerappa Moilly.
The second rung in Sonia Gandhi’s inner circle consists of other leaders who make up the ‘old guard’: Rajasthan’s Prime Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Interior Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and nine-time Lok Sabha MP Malikarjun Kharge, who he led Congress in the lower house. between 2014 and 2019, but is now in the Rajya Sabha after his impeccable electoral record was broken last year.
Also finding a place in this middle rung are two loyal followers of Rahul Gandhi: Randeep Surjewala, who has lost his last two elections and KC Venugopal, who won Alappuzha twice but did not participate in 2019.
From the outer limits of this inner circle, stands the Prime Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh, who opposed the proposal of some leaders in Congress to challenge the leadership of the Gandhi family in the party, and described his decision to ask for a party reform as bad. timed. Another leader at this level is the main lawyer and spokesman Abhishek Singhvi, who has also called on all party members to follow and trust the leadership.
Former trade union minister P Chidambaram, who was also not on the list of 23 signatories to the letter sent to Sonia Gandhi seeking organizational reform, is also in this last layer of this inner circle. He was recently duly rewarded by the party’s high command and given a seat at the head table of the key committees set up by Sonia Gandhi before the parliament session, while the “dissidents” were bypassed.
As is former Minister Jairam Ramesh, who has always managed to please his different bosses. Not only is he in Sonia Gandhi’s camp, but he is also considered close to Rahul Gandhi and was included in his advisory committee to help the party get through this dry political period of Covid-19.
While Sonia Gandhi maintains the company of veteran leaders who have proven their mettle in the political arena in the past, the RG Office, as Rahul Gandhi’s field is informally known, is made up primarily of politicians and young professionals whom he believes to be they can bring a new style of acting. functioning and reviving the fortunes of Congress.
In addition to Surjewala and Venugopal, Rahul Gandhi’s closest associates are social media coordinator Nikhil Alva, former investment banker Alankar Sawai, ‘strategic advisor’ Sachin Rao, Oxford academic Kaushal Kishore Vidarthee, and Sam Pitroda, an engineer. of telecommunications who was appointed president of the Indian Congress of Overseas.
Alva, a former television producer and son of the former Rajasthan governor and former party secretary-general Margaret Alva, has been described as the keeper of Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter account and was responsible for increasing engagement in his control prior to the Lok elections. Sabha. Rao, who was appointed last year as the All India Congressional Committee (AICC) in charge of “training” and “Sandesh”, is an MBA in corporate strategy and international business from Michigan Business School. As part of his training program, Rao had suggested calling the coaches “preraks”, but the proposal was rejected by Sonia Gandhi and other party leaders called it an imitation of the BJP.
Less defined is the role of Alankar Sawai, a former leading private bank employee and IIM graduate, who was regarded as the eyes and ears of Rahul Gandhi. Most roles, dates used to run through him, but many believe that he would leave if Rahul doesn’t take over the party soon.
Along with Sawai, Rahul Gandhi had entrusted the work of appointments for key positions to Kaushal, who has a Ph.D. in philosophy in social policy and an MA in development studies from the University of Oxford. The Bihar scholar is considered someone to be reckoned with as he is said to be equally comfortable with new age technology and understanding the fundamental realities of the Hindi heart.
Technocrat Sam Pitroda, who has been close to the first Congressional family since the days of Rajiv Gandhi, rounds out this inner clique of non-political figures. As president of the Indian Congress Abroad, Pitroda has helped organize Rahul Gandhi’s meetings with members of the Indian diaspora and his talks at American universities, as well as political campaigns in the assembly elections here.
Also part of the core team of Rahul Gandhi’s core team are Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, son of former CM Tarun Gogoi, and Ajay Maken, who recently returned from political oblivion after losing his deposit in two consecutive Delhi Lok Sabha polls and suddenly appointed general secretary in charge of Rajasthan.
Along with this recent location for Maken, another member of the Rahul team, former Assam MP Sushmita Dev, who recently got more vocal on party forums has led to suggestions that Rahul Gandhi might finally be ready to play a role. most important at the party once again. Dev was the head of the party’s women’s wing and also the most vocal during her time at Lok Sabha.
Srinivas BV, the new President of the Youth Congress whose practical approach has earned him praise from top leaders, and Manicka Tagore, who defeated Vaiko in the Lok Sabha elections, are the others in this group. Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, who returned to Congress recently after his rebellion against Gehlot failed, and former Karnataka MP Rajeev Gowda, also remained in Rahul Gandhi’s camp despite changes in fortune.
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