POLITICAL DELICACIES
By Nora Chopra
Rahul Gandhi who is being held responsible for the Congress Party’s defeat has been given a clean chit by the Congress investigator A K Antony. Antony who was given the job of probing the reasons for the party’s worst ever defeat has not even mentioned Rahul’s name in his report that he has to submit to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi. He has not even held Rahul’s advisers responsible for the defeat. Antony is believed to have blamed factionalism in the party as one of the reasons and lack of communication and dearth of grass root connect are some of the other reasons that find mention in his report. He has also pointed out that that wrong selection of candidates is also one of the reasons for the party’s defeat. In his report he has even mentioned that many party hoppers were given tickets causing heat burns within the party workers who then did not work for the party. Communal polarization and the Congress failure in countering Narendra Modi’s campaign and the party’s failure to woo the younger people are also reasons mentioned his report. Price rise was also a major cause.
Allahabad witnesses poster war between Rahul and Priyanka
It may sound unbelievable but it is a fact that there is poster war going on in Allahabad between Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi. There has been a consistent demand in the Allahabad Congress that the high command should give charge of the party to Priyanka who alone can get the party the needed victory. But to everyone’s surprise, a new poster has come up supporting Rahul. This poster says that Rahul should be given charge of the party and Priyanka should take care of her home. Madhusudan Mistry is said to be behind the Rahul poster.
What is the status of Kanishka Singh in Congress party?
Congress Party is abuzz with the issue of the status of Kanishka Singh. Question is being asked why is Kanishka Singh, a paid employee in Rahul Gandhi’s office, is so important that one of the senior most leaders of the Congress Party had to go out to see him off. But if the buzz in the Congress is to be believed, Kanishka is also the eyes and ears of Rahul Gandhi and he is as powerful as his boss. But then it is not Kanishka alone. It is the Gandhi family culture. Their assistants, their PAs and their typists and stenographers have always been more powerful than most Congress leaders. Remember R K Dhawan. When Dhawan was Indira Gandhi’s OSD, he was so powerful that all Congress leaders had to pay obeisance to him. He grew up to become an MP and today he is a member of CWC. Then who can forget V George. He joined as a stenographer but later was elevated as the APS of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi He was so powerful that he could get chief ministers made and chief ministers sacked. He obliged so many Congress leaders that even today he plays godfather to many Congress leaders.
Congress party confused over National Herald case
Congress seems to be confused over the National Herald case filed by Subramanium Swamy. They do not want to take a chance at the courts and are said to have opened a backroom channel to negotiate with the ruling BJP. The Congress high command is now facing increasingly disgruntled members who are asking for a change of leadership. The NH case will intensify the move. The BJP leadership finds the olive branch offered by Congress interesting since this will help the government to get certain crucial bills passed. But the other view in the BJP is that the more is the discomfort of the Congress leadership, brighter is the prospect of the BJP at least for the forth coming assembly elections to be held this year.
Arun Jaitley right about comment on palace coup
When Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday that the Congress leadership was facing a palace coup, he was perhaps correct in his assessment. The war between the old guard and the new guard s of the Congress Party resulting in the palace coup is on within the Congress party. If the sudden activism demonstrated by a normally demure disinterested back bencher Rahul Gandhi entering the well on Wednesday was a surprise even for his party men, it is being seen as result of the growing chorus in the Congress to bring Priyanka in to active politics and take charge to save the Congress. Priyanka lao Congress bachao has been their slogan right from May 16 the day Congress faced its worst defeat in any Lok Sabha poll. The Congress general secretary Janardhan Diwedi not known for shooting his mouth, surprised everyone when he came in open support of Jagmeet Brar who has been served a show cause notice for asking the Congress president and vice president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to take a sabbatical for two years to tour the country and get the feel of the masses. Diwedi then came in his defence and attacked the party saying the party leadership should also develop the habit of listening others and not only make others listen He said that the party should be open to criticism. It was Diwedi who was the first to start the Priyanka lao chorus. In his typical symbolic style he hinted that Rajiv Gandhi had told him that Priyanka was the one who was interested in politics meaning that Rahul had no interest in politics. On the other hand Rahul Gandhi advisers Sam Pitroda, Madhusudan Mistry and Jairam Ramesh who are being held responsible for the party’s defeat are said to be mounting pressure on the Congress President to vacate the top Congress seat for Rahul Gandhi and make him the president before Priyanka’s entry. Madhusudan has been heard telling people that after the assembly polls, Sonia would resign from the post and make Rahul the president and Priyanka will be made general secretary organization the portfolio till now being held by Dwivedi. (IPA)