This time there was no letter. This time the strategy was different: speak one by one to hit harder. The “letter writers” of Congress have not felt well in recent months. They were waiting to see the results from Bihar and other indirect results. So when the results started to come in, and many within Congress were disappointed, some of the ‘dissenters’ felt they were vindicated. His point that the big old rudderless party needed strong and defined leadership and took to the streets proved to be spot on once again.
Ghulam Nabi Azad’s coup was the hardest as he almost nailed it by saying that what had happened in today’s Congress was an intrusion of the “5-star culture.” Now Azad, Digvijaya Singh, Ashok Gehlot belong to a different style of congressional politics that has been adopted by the BJP, that is, spending time with party workers, meeting with them at party headquarters and communicating with them.
There have been many instances where these leaders would just randomly pick up the phone seeking the favor of a worker and even if the work had not been done, the worker was happy that an attempt had been made. This is something that many within the party fear is increasingly being abandoned.
In Bihar too, many leaders coming from Delhi just huddled in 5 stars and did not even meet with candidates or party workers who were waiting to take a look at the Delhi party leaders.
So what is the plan that the ‘rebels’ have? First, they had decided to wait for the results of the survey. They were aware that things did not look good and once the results came back, they decided to jump into action. Many of them met informally and have been discussing their plan frequently. It was decided that Kapil Sibal, who until now was silent, would be the first to speak.
Upon landing from Dubai, he decided to break his silence. After his statement, it was decided that Azad would be the next to speak who went one step further. Sources say the plan is in for the next few days and more is likely to talk. Many have decided that there is no going back and in their later years they do not need Congress to survive. Some have flourishing alternative careers and some have decided to retire slowly. And some think they can cope beyond the game and prove himself. So why should they hold back? As someone told me, “the party has given me a lot, and so have I … the time to shut up is gone. We never filter the letter.”
Sources say there is likely to be another round of meetings. There are those who plan that a person should compete for the top position every time the elections are held, but if Rahul Gandhi is a candidate, he may not.
Congress, except Gehlot, has been silent. The sources said they have decided to remain largely silent and ignore them so as not to give them too much importance. But it is clear that the “rebels” are not in the mood to remain silent for long. Some like Anand Sharma and Azad have recently joined new committees created by Sonia Gandhi. The measure was taken so that Congress can make it clear that they are not allowing a political witch hunt. But the so-called rebels are ready for the fight, but careful not to touch the Gandhis just yet.
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