Congress President Sonia Gandhi He was not present on the occasion, apparently for health reasons. In his absence, former defense minister and party leader AK Antony did the honors.
If developments in Congress in recent years are to be analyzed, there is a clear message that Rahul Gandhi has tried to convey by skipping the party’s Founding Day celebrations: that he is unwilling to don the mantle of the party chairman again.
Speaking to timesofindia.com on condition of anonymity, a senior congressional leader said: “There can be no other reason for Rahul Gandhi to skip the party’s founding day ceremony. It is a deliberate attempt on his part to tell the main leaders of the party that he will not accept the position of president under the current circumstances.
The leader reasoned that it was not urgent for Rahul Gandhi to leave the day before the special occasion of the Congress that his father, grandmother, great-grandfather and great-grandfather have led in the past and that his mother is currently leading. . He himself was chairman of the party for a couple of years and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is currently his general secretary, he said.
Rahul Gandhi resigned as president of Congress shortly after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, taking moral responsibility for the humiliating defeat under his leadership. He ignored all the pressure not to resign from office.
The source said: “A section of influential leaders is preparing a preliminary job to anoint him again for the position. However, he is said to be against such a move. ”
He further said that just a few days ago, top party leaders, including those who have demanded radical changes in the party, met with him. “However, Rahul Gandhi was adamant about not returning as party chairman,” he said, adding that skipping the founding day event is a measure to reiterate his position.
What the source said could be corroborated by Rahul Gandhi’s participation in the same event in the last five years since 2016.
Sonia Gandhi, as president of Congress, was also not present on the 132nd day of the party’s founding in 2016. Rahul Gandhi, as general secretary, raised the party’s flag that year.
Rahul Gandhi was declared president of Congress amid Gujarat’s assembly elections in December 2017. He raised the party flag on the 133rd day of the party’s founding.
He raised the flag again in 2018 as president of Congress.
However, he resigned as head of Congress in mid-2019 shortly after the results of the Lok Sabha elections were declared. Since then, with the exception of being a deputy for the Wayanad Lok Sabha in Kerala, he has not held any position in the party.
But he was present at the party’s 24 headquarters, Akbar Road when Sonia Gandhi raised the party’s flag last year on the 135th founding day.
The situation remains the same this year also when it comes to Rabul Gandhi’s position in the party, only pressure is being put on him to replace his mother. This makes the situation exceptional as the special event on Monday was skipped.
Citing sources, the PTI news agency said that Rahul Gandhi went to Milan in Italy on a Qatar Airways flight Sunday morning.
Former national congressional spokesperson Sanjay Jha, who remains suspended by the party, felt that something was wrong in the absence of the former congressional president. “I think Rahul needs to be more sensitive about his public perception. If he has indeed gone to meet his sick grandmother, then the official communication from the Congress Party has been a mistake, being opaque and confusing. But if Rahul just took a short break, then it’s uncomfortable for Congress, as he missed all 136 party celebrations that were less than 24 hours away, “he told timesofindia.com.
Rahul Gandhi’s former assistant, Pankaj Shankar, also tweeted about his fate.
The future @INCIndia Presidentcelebrating #CongressFoundationDay in #Milan! #Congreso # RahulGandhi… https://t.co/bLXOvEKe6e
– Pankaj Shankar 🎬 पंकज शंकर (@pankaj_shankar) 1609124999000
Top leaders in Congress have come to his defense. MP Rajya Sabha and party secretary general KC Venugopal said: “Rahul Gandhi has gone to see his grandmother. Is he wrong? Everyone has the right to make personal visits. The BJP is engaging in politics of low level. They’re targeting Rahul Gandhi because I want to target only one leader. ”
Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala He said: “The leader of Congress, Rahul Gandhi, has gone abroad for a short personal visit and will be away for a few days.”
Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said: “There could be 101 reasons for your absence. We don’t want to speculate. If you accepted a call, it must be for a valid reason … Priyanka ji is here.”
However, the BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi for his absence. Madhya Pradesh Prime Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a tweet: “Congress celebrates its 136th founding day here and Rahul Gandhi has disappeared.”
He later said: “It is so unfortunate for Congress that the person who has been its president and is also considered for office is absent on the day the party was founded. No one knows what country he is in. His absence raises several questions about he”. and his part “.
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