New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee has chosen former Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take over as interim president.
After outgoing president Rahul Gandhi refused to yield to party leaders’ requests to continue as chief, despite subcommittees passing resolutions for him to continue, Sonia was asked to step in.
She has accepted the post and will take charge as interim president till elections are held to elect a new president, a senior Congress leader told ThePrint. Despite Rahul saying that the party should look outside the family for the next president, the party has chosen Sonia to lead the party.
The Congress party had been facing a leadership crisis for over two months, ever since Rahul resigned on 25 May taking responsibility for the party’s poll debacle. Despite multiple requests from senior leaders in the party, Rahul has refused to reconsider his decision. In June, Rahul publicly shared his resignation letter.
Even at this morning’s CWC, Rahul told the others that while he’ll work “shoulder to shoulder” with them, he will not continue as party chief.
But rebellion in the Congress has been brewing, especially with the younger leaders taking on the old for not being able to “sense the public mood”.
Split over Article 370, many Congress leaders younger leaders endorsed the government’s move.
The party is also looking at elections later this year Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
Also read: The Congress doesn’t need a president
Call ignored for young leaders
The party came under heavy criticism for not resolving the crisis from within its own ranks with veteran Congress leader Karan Singh asking the party to take a decision post haste on 8 July.
The former cabinet minister suggested appointing four working presidents for north, south, east and west zones to introduce “younger people into positions of authority”. Singh has strongly urged the CWC to convene under the chairmanship of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and take the decision.
But Singh isn’t the only one making a case for inducting younger leaders in positions of power. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Saturday batted for a “charismatic gen-next leader who can enthuse the people with her or his pan-India appeal and grassroots presence.”
Stupid is what stupid does
It is a sad commentary on the Congress Party, that actually has a better talent pool than the ruling BJP that didn’t have a Defence Minister for 6 months, and had to pull in a former career bureaucrat as Foreign Minister. But from a pragmatic point of view the imploding Congress needed a mother hen to keep the brood together.
But they must look beyond the Gandhi family for future leadership. The country needs a strong opposition party.
I wish the Congress a long wretched life.
Now let no journalist ever use the term “leader” while describing any Congress party member. There are none. That much is clear after 75 days and 12 hours.
Trust Chidambaram to come up with the solution that the old corrupt one should take over from the young corrupt one so that he can hope for continuous chances to make more money! The whole corrupt pack of cards would collapse on itself!
congress=gandhis=no future wins=congress=gandhis=no future wins=congress=gandhis=no future wins
Mummy Returns!
Better than not having any leaving it in a state of uncertainty.What the party needs is not a change of president or a necessarily a non-gandhi president but functioning with clarity based on clear cut value based politics besides attending to organisational matters of building of cadres,strong emergence of state level lradership with direct connect with ppl.It can start with making party’s position clear on revocation of Art 370,integration of the state with rest of India,the views on reorganization of state,the methodology adopted etc.
As one of your writers rightly pointed out, the real issue with this party is that the old guard led by Sonia Gandhi is not willing to step aside and allow the new generation to work. Rahul Gandhi is absolutely right in resigning as president for not being allowed to take his own decisions. Till the old guard retires, there is no hope for this party.
What a Farce!!!! A complete Joke! It’s been over 2 months since the comedian in chief resigned and they still can’t get a new President. A president who sucks on Gandhi Toe nails everyday
This is called dictatorship in democrcy. Why no elections for presidentship? No right to comments on ruling party politics
A safe pair of hands. Defeating PM ABV at the peak of his popularity, that is recorded history.
What’s the succession plan? Priyanka? So will she drop Vadra from her name to be completely and sympathetically identifiable to the lackeys of this family? OR will they import someone from her maternal (Italian) family to act as the new emperor / empress?