New Delhi: Outgoing Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s absence from former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit’s funeral has triggered discontent and indignation in the party, with some leaders extremely upset by, what they feel, is his insensitivity and apathy.
While his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among a huge gathering of leaders at Dikshit’s funeral at the Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi, there was a wreath with Rahul Gandhi’s name on it.
The Congress president, who had resigned after the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha elections, has been in the United States since last week.
Clueless about his foreign visit, many Congress leaders who spoke to ThePrint expressed exasperation and indignation at Rahul skipping Dikshit’s funeral, pointing out that she had been very close and loyal to the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Dikshit had contested her first Lok Sabha election in 1984 and went on to become a minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s PMO two years later. She had gone with Congress (Tiwari) and returned to the party only after Sonia Gandhi took over the reins in 1998. She has remained loyal to the party’s first family although many of her detractors had managed to secure plum posts in the party after Rahul began calling the shots.
Also read: In politics, age is just a number. Even if it is ‘young’ Rahul Gandhi’s
‘Resigned but still working’
Other leaders told ThePrint that though Rahul has resigned, he has been appointing state unit chiefs and dissolving local units of the party in many states while the search for his successor is on.
“He loved Sheila Dikshit, if he could have, he would have made it to the funeral,” said a Congress leader seeking to defend Rahul. He added that the Congress president would be back shortly, claiming that he could return as early as Tuesday.
Gandhi’s foreign visit comes at a time when the Congress seems to be imploding from within.
Party leaders in Maharashtra said that in the absence of any guidance and the leadership crisis at the top, “virtually every Congress leader” in the poll-bound state is ready to jump ship. So is the case in Haryana and Jharkhand, which are also scheduled to go to polls later this year.
In Karnataka, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government is hanging by a thread, while in Goa, 10 Congress legislators quit the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party — all within the last month.
Also read: A throne or Rahul Gandhi’s paduka – what will the new Congress president get?
Was she so impotant ,who brought bad name to congrress by her scams and made the capital congress mukt ,worth attending.Only crocodiles shedding false tears attended with enormous hatred in their heart.
But he has promised “fight” on issue of Trump and his mediation in J&K.
Rahul’s problem is what to do and what to not do. He is a simple and honest individual like any Indian and has an average “grey matter” in terms of brain. As for as his preformance in studies established this fact. I am not saying that one who is not good in studies cannot perform well in other areas including politics but such individuals are not much in number. Further he grew in a protected environment so he has never been able to smell of the soil of the country. I consider him a good individual with low understanding like many anywhere. My clear view is that he should live a peaceful life whichever he likes and “the shroud politicians” of Congress stop advising him. They (the shroud politicians) are many in the Congress and even Sonia Gandhi knows them well. These shroud ploticians are present in both young as well as old groups. Sonia Gandhi should handle this issue very well and she can lead the party.
Why some one asking about RAGA missing Sheila Dixit funeral. Congress, a party of Gandhi family, represented by available family members. RAGA need not to be blamed. His trip to US a pre planned one. In fact as per media reports, the entire family was to leave for medical treatment of Sonia Ji n Robert Vadra who is recovering from the illness already there. In fact I feel that he learnt the art detachment on his 41 days vacation at Some where Indonesia or some other close by country few years earlier ( I.e. Vipasana). I feel he is fed of prevailing situation in congress ruled States. May be becos of this he tries to keep himself away from his fellow congressmen
Why can’t the Congress cut the umbilical cord and just let him go? He is plainly unfit to be a politician.
Another disaster in making. Priyanka is projected as nect big thing to happen to Cong. If the party will continue on the same line of thinking, all of us must get ready to write an obituary to the Congress. It seems Cong has not learnt anything from the drubbing of 2019. All the best to Cong.
Whatever Rahul Gandhi does an opposite view of it arises which shows people either inside his own party or its political opponents are challenging his view points as well as actions confirming an ideological battle is going on as told by Rahul gandhi himself. Attending Dixit’s funeral when he was away from India may be a news to the Media but certainly does not do any other good thing to the countrymen.
It is not a sin if he did not attend a funeral as he was abroad. Why people make it an issue? Regarding khangress it is into the master and servants of a private limited company to appoint their head. But the longer the delay the better for India because the faster will be disintegration of the party. Let them decide.
Understanding RG and his activities is difficuilt. Escaping from Parliament session and funeral of legend Congress leader Shiela Dixit by RG is really disgraceful. Let Priyanka Gandhi be made as President of Congress Party, who is competent to run the party in better manner.
Raga skipping the funeral of Sheila Dikshit must not be blown out of proposition. He is no longer the president of the party. The Cong party is represented by Sonia Gandhi on the occasion. Moreover Sheila Dikshit was just a Cong karyakarta of course she was Delhi CM for three consecutive terms besides being very close to the family. But for Raga it is not a big deal. It is rightly told that some are born great some become great and some are made great. Raga is figured under the third category. Why would he care for anyone? Despite the fact he relinquished the post of Cong presidency he is still dictating terms. The party fought many elections with Raga at the helm but lost disastrously. The 2019 election was the last nail on the coffin. He is at his wits end doesn’t know where to begin. He at first resigned owning the moral responsibility thus setting the ball roll for others to follow suit triggering a plethora of resignations. The sycophants are standing firmly standing at his back. But he lacks the courage and conviction to do anything. Meanwhile the party is hitting a new low with the matters spiralling out of hand in both Karnataka and Goa. With complete vacuum at the top nobody knows what to do and whom to go. The party in poll bound states is crying for attentions. All these thing hardly deter Raga from going to jaunts. Presently the party is literally at the whims of the Gandhi scion. Complete chaos and confusion prevail.
Poor chap has gone to “Bangkok”,for his bang ?
I pity Rahul Gandhi. Basically he is a good guy, brought up in protected environment with all earthly comforts, had dogs to play with, and generally led a happy carefree life till he was pushed into politics when the poor chap actually thought it must be in his blood and he can be the King. Now probably he has realised that he is just not a politician material, but has got badly stuck and does not know how to get out of it. He is like a gladiator getting badly beaten up, who wants to get out of the ring but his supporters are pushing him back into it.
Even Rahul has realised that the high command of his mother’s party are a bunch of incorrigible fools.
We must understand the periodic leave he avails to be away from there insufferable fools.!
Rahul has done what was utmost possible by him. He understood the pulse and therefore batted for a non Gandhi President.
He measured the pulse of Indian public and suggested accordingly. But still the people with not connected to earth and sticked towards the top positions in the party fail to digest this. Thus they still find the way to bring another sibling so there identity retains.
Actually the party still has strong roots and acceptability but need fundamental leadership.
Rahul was criticised for the negative behavier in parliament and on the subject of national interest. This harmed congress in big way. The earlier India was not so literate but now people understand everything better for their interest as well as nations interest.
Rahul’s failure was because of two more big reasons also
1. He got a rotten development condition from the predecessors. And
2. The advisory panel doesn’t have a progressive thinker who can read the voter’s mind after Modi 1.0, they still batted in the cast and creed issues. And more so the subsidy oriented mindset which was largely erased by Modi in the first attempt. You see that the entire congress poll campaign was based upon these two issues.
I wonder why Rahul didn’t try the politics in pure new way and run away. There can be two reasons only.
1. He had been under big pressure of stalwarts around him that he understood he cannot get rid off.
2. He had I’ll motive for politics such as UPA2.
Both the things keep him away from the the position, he held.
THIRD IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
RG is busy in structuring a big nagetive propaganda like he did previously while going on foreign suspicious trips. If that is so then the country should be prepared for bigger upset. A negative mind like him can do it also.
He is the most entitled politician in the country. No need each n’ every member of the family should attend the funeral, he is adequately represented by his mother n’ sister. He is middle-aged single person, he has his needs n’ aspirations as a private person, entitled for a much deserved holiday
The actions of Rahul Gandhi clearly indicate that he is not willing to continue in active politics and will like to concentrate on numerous court cases against him and attend his personal matters including to have his personal family. To survive, Congress party should approach TMC and NCP, who are under threat of loosing National party status, to rejoin congress party and may handover the senior erstwhile member Shri Sharad Pawar the charge of the party.
Lookbat RG’s age.
I think he is neithr so much poor nor so much illiterate to do some good business outsude India. He is not bad looking too. He must get married & live happy life with lovely kids nd good business nd should not spoil his age his life in India where people won’t hear him nd only makes jokes on him.
Did PM attended the funeral ?
He visited the family to offer his condolences.
It is insane , said einstein , doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result . No , I am not talking about RG’s foreign jaunts after every politically humiliating loss , my reference is to us the ‘people’ who have expressed our disapproval of the ‘prince’s’ behavior .
Don’t understand why an Indian citizen cannot take leave for his own personal needs . He had done exceptionally well in 2019 campaigning single handedly .
Can any body explain what coconut 🥥 modi had bought from international relations after spending 5000 crores for foreign trips alone . Beneficiaries are Adani , Ambani and not common man .
That Rail Gandhi did not attend the funeral need not be taken too seriously as he was away in the USA.Congress Party was represented by Sonia Gamdhi.
Really, Congress has difficult time.But forget him know!What other leaders are doing?
Comments here are either written by bjp it cell or they are genuine ..if these are written by real people then it shows that people are so stupid …they have so much problem with Rahul not attending a funeral but they are ok with criminals running this country ….
To those faithful loyal duty minded bootlickers of gandy Nehru family, this is A lesson to learn. Howrver may be loyal but what happened to narasimha rap after his death and how Sonia played nasty ugly politics on his dead body is known to everyone.
I believe the following is the solution which Sonia Gandhi is likely to come with to resolve the Congress leadership issue…..
Sonia Gandhi has finally worked out an almost perfect solution to the Leadership issue plaguing the Congress after Rahul Gandhi’s resignation.
Now both Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi will be Joint presidents of the Party. This brilliant solution allows each Gandhi to travel abroad for holidays while the other “looks after the country”. A recent example Is when Priyanka, back from her US holiday and when straight to UP to do a dharna in response to a local shooting of oppressed classes. Meanwhile Rahul took this opportunity to visit his ailing Grandmother in Italy and do Vipasna in Bangkok.
Senior congress leaders also feel that having 2 Gandhis as presidents will further unite the party and look substantially more attractive to the nation, especially when one of the Gandhis can’t speak coherently and the other sometimes can.
And while these two siblings charm the nation, Sonia Gandhis remains the leader of the Congress party in parliament.
It should be clear to every Congressman and woman, that Shri Rahul Gandhi is only interested in himself. He suffers from an acute entitlement syndrome. For him, only he matters. It is really surprising that knowing all this most Congress party members still want him to somehow continue as the party president.
Guys cut some slack for Pappu. Probably he doesn’t want to deal with any politics but the Italian mama has got him by his akrot. These absences are his ways of showing his disdain. The guy knows he’s a low brow.
Why people expect something from the empty pot?
You can expect only this with Rahul.
Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi had hosted a dinner in honour of the outgoing government headed by Dr Singh. Mr Rahul Gandhi gave it a miss. One has never understood where this sense of entitlement comes from. A person who has gone through middle age without a single achievement of note on his CV. He blew the entire 2019 campaign. I think, in a subliminal sense, the average Indian, even the humblest, least well off, understands that this man does not qualify to have his finger on the button. The least a doting mother could have done – if she could not enforce behavioural change – was to choose the more deserving sibling.
I just don’t understand, why congressmen can accept RG, a total failure in everything, as a leader?
God only knows where Congress will be in 2024 election.