A major reshuffle at AICC is in the offing with Rahul Gandhi taking charge; possibility of appointing 3-4 vice-presidents is being explored as well.
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as president of the Congress party was a foregone conclusion. It was only a question of when. Now, there is a new question. It is ‘who’ will be part of the new Team RG.
And the most intriguing question, however, is: who will be the political secretary to the new Congress president. Will Ahmed Patel, the present political secretary to Sonia Gandhi, continue doing the job or someone else will take over the key post once Rahul takes charge?
The other significant move could be to create a new layer of senior posts in the party. A possibility of appointing three or four vice-presidents is being explored and the seniors are likely to find representation here — a move that could help Rahul find that necessary balance to keep the grand old party together.
The party
It is expected that a major reshuffle at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) is in the offing. The changes are likely at general secretary and state party president levels and it will happen right through May 2018. Work has already started and the Congress is foraying into new directions with the likes of an All India Professional Congress. But there is more to come.
Party sources told ThePrint that Sam Pitroda, who worked closely with former PM Rajiv Gandhi and has been roped in for the Gujarat election as well, will be part of Team RG besides K. Raju, chairman of the SC department at AICC. There is also speculation about a possible elevation of Professor Mohan Gopal of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies.
With Randeep Surjewala in the saddle in the communications department and Deepender Singh Hooda firmly by the side as well, Team RG is expected to have roles ready for the younger brigade comprising leaders such as Rajasthan Congress President Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora of Maharashtra and Jyotiraditya Scindia from Madhya Pradesh.
Ashok Tanwar, Bhanwar Jitendar Singh and Sushmita Dev from the Mahila Congress are among those who are likely to find bigger roles after RG takes charge.
Bringing in a layer of vice-presidents with the old guard manning some of these posts could be key to the new Congress. Rahul Gandhi already signalled his intentions by appointing veterans such as Sushil Kumar Shinde in Himachal Pradesh, K.C. Venugopal in Karnataka and Ashok Gehlot in Gujarat.
There are, however, questions around the role of Sonia Gandhi after Rahul’s elevation. Given the kind of respect she commands in the party, Sonia Gandhi is bound to be in an advisory role but just how she will relate to the party structure and a freshly reconstituted Congress Working Committee, is unclear yet.
The four-time MP’s role outside 24, Akbar Road will also be something to watch out for. Another question is: where exactly will Sonia Gandhi sit in Parliament when Rahul moves into her shoes? Until now, she has been sitting in the first row of the opposition bench in the Lok Sabha.
The strategy
Decentralisation will be key to Rahul’s strategy. For instance, the state election screening committees earlier would suggest up to three candidates to the central election committee for ticket distribution ahead of elections. It is no longer the case. Now, the screening committee is to suggest one name alone, taking away the latitude and power that New Delhi enjoyed over them. The new candidate, in RG’s scheme of things, should have worked on ground, demonstrated professional integrity and must be fully committed to the Congress ideology.
Also, debatable though the move may be, Rahul may allow some flexibility – sometimes even at the expense of the party’s electoral prospects for activists working towards larger goals similar to the Congress’ principles. For instance, a sitting Congress MLA from Vadgam in North Gujarat vacated his seat for Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani and the Congress decided not to field a candidate against him as he is now seen as the Dalit face in Gujarat.
Gujarat, in fact, has demonstrated RG’s willingness to ally with social activists to build a common opposition alliance. So even though the Aam Aadmi Party has been reaching out to these so-called change agents, a Hardik Patel and an Alpesh Thakor are within the Congress umbrella along with Mevani.
This, say insiders, is likely to be replicated in many other states as well.
A new Rahul
Much has been said about the emergence of a new and more confident Rahul Gandhi. Much has also been said about his new-found responsiveness and assertiveness — he took minutes to tweet out his disapproval of Mani Shankar Aiyar’s comments after the PM spoke of them. He also decided within the next few hours to expel Aiyar for the same.
When his Somnath visit sparked a controversy over his religion, Rahul gave the go ahead to share details of his religiosity in public domain — something he would have been deeply uncomfortable about sharing in the past.
A correction for you guys: KC Venugopal is not a veteran. He is part of the Rahul brigade.
With Surejwala with all kinds of falsehood.
Watch out Rahul of these very young advisors. Remove Ahmed Patel as far as possible from your internal advisors.
He is the only person in the nation of 1.25 billion people who can take a straight leap from a party worker’s position to the highest position in land. But before people vote him and his team in for the next five years, won’t it be worthwhile to scrutinise his past performance as a parliamentarian (debatable), an activist of serious intent (none) or as a minister (none).