If there is one message that Rahul Gandhi’s unannounced overseas visit has sent to many in the leadership of Congress, it is that he is not interested in returning as party chairman, a position he left in May 2019 after his debacle in the general elections.
The Hindustan Times spoke with various congressional leaders, some of them part of its core group, about the party’s plans to appoint a permanent president. Two of them confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to return to the post and that an attempt was being made to change his mind. A third leader said he was now more or less certain that he would not return soon as head of Congress.
Rahul Gandhi flew to an undisclosed overseas destination on Sunday, the eve of the 136th anniversary of the Congress and at a time when thousands of farmers have gathered on Delhi’s borders in protest against a set of contentious laws aimed at opening the agricultural markets.
The visit also preceded the expected start of the process of electing a permanent president of Congress next month to relieve her mother Sonia Gandhi of her responsibilities as acting chief.
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It has been 18 months since India’s oldest political party has been in a state of flux. While Sonia Gandhi agreed to take over as Acting Chief, her poor health has been a cause for concern. The party said it would start the internal election process after 23 high-ranking politicians in August demanded a reform of the party in a joint letter they wrote to leaders.
Signatories to the letter included MPs Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, his deputy Anand Sharma, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh and former Maharashtra President Prithviraj Chavan.
When the party’s general secretary and main spokesman, Randeep Surjewala, said this month that 99.9% of the rank and file in Congress want Rahul Gandhi to be president again, it upset those who had been seeking a transparent democratic system.
“Senior leaders are trying to convince him. Everyone has spoken to Ms {Sonia} Gandhi to try to change his mind, but we can say that he is reluctant, ” said a development-conscious person.
Those who support the return of Rahul Gandhi to the helm argue that no one but Gandhi can hold the party together. These include senior leaders Ambika Soni, Harish Rawat and AK Antony, who asked Gandhi to return even in a December 19 meeting with representatives of the letter writers demanding a review.
Gandhi was silent at the time, but at one point he told the signatories verbatim: “I am a common worker like you and I will work like this.”
Those close to the family believe Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to change his mind, but his core team says it will be able to convince him to return to the helm.
In case Rahul Gandhi doesn’t budge, the Hindustan Times learns, a Plan B is also being discussed within the party.
The signatories to the August letter sent to the party suggested that Congress adopt a system of collective leadership.
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Under Plan B, the party could appoint four vice presidents (one for each zone) to work with Sonia Gandhi as president.
“Her presence would be like {that of} a figurehead, as no one has any opposition to her, but the four vice presidents would make all the decisions collectively. Each would have three or four general secretaries under their command, ” said a senior party leader, on condition of anonymity.
He noted that Rahul Gandhi became president in December 2017 and his term expired in 2022 before resigning from office in May 2019, being responsible for the electoral defeat of Congress. Sonia Gandhi can continue as president unless a consensus candidate emerges before the elections, the leader said. However, the emergence of a consensus candidate is unlikely due to the divisions between the so-called old guard and the young guard in the party.
HT reached out to Surjewala for comment, but there was no response.
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