Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of Congress in April

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi may take over the reins of Congress in April, at a conclave similar to the Jaipur ‘chintan baithak’ in January 2013 when he was officially named the heir apparent.

Congress is planning to call an AICC session between March 28 and April 15, when Parliament will be in recess, to secure the party’s nod for the transition which the leadership believes should not be delayed any more. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who has consistently goaded Rahul to take charge, is likely to be made chairperson of the Congress parliamentary party.Senior organization managers said the trajectory of the recent events suggests that the leadership is gearing up for the generational shift.

After the decimation in Lok Sabha elections, the party has been polarized along camps. One of the groups, largely drawn from the “old guard” who have been more comfortable under Sonia, feels it is not the time to burden Rahul with the task of leading the party, while another believes a delay would only create more complications.

AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and veteran MP Kamal Nath have demanded Rahul’s immediate elevation, complaining that two power centres in the organization – Sonia and Rahul — was creating confusion and slowing down decision-making.The Congress chief favours a passing of the baton. While there were suggestions that Rahul should be designated ‘working president’ before being given control of the party, Sonia is said to have rejected the idea on the ground that it was time the party firmly put the perception of dual power centres behind it.

For the opposition party that craved positive press, Rahul’s leave has led to wild guesses about his destination, as well as reports that sibling Priyanka could take up an organizational responsibility. The party has denied the report about Priyanka, and appears exasperated at having to rebuff speculation about Rahul’s whereabouts on a daily basis. With all sorts of theories being put forward, party spokesman Randeep Surjewala on Monday told the media that “innuendos are not in good taste”, urging it to respect Rahul’s privacy.

However, senior leaders have asserted that Rahul would return to take up his job with renewed vigour.

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Source:TimesofIndia

Rahul Gandhi