Rahul and the pocket Constitution
By now, the sight of Rahul Gandhi holding up a leather-bound mini copy of the Constitution in his public rallies has become ubiquitous. The Congress leader has been doing it for over a year now, having started the practice during the campaigning for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The advice for Rahul to do so came from Congress media and communications department (research and monitoring) in-charge Amitabh Dubey, according to Contesting Democratic Deficit—An Inside Story of the 2024 Elections. Published last month, the book has been authored by senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid with Mritunjay Singh Yadav, senior private secretary to chairman Parliamentary Standing Committee, Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
“This symbolic gesture was not just a random decision; it was a carefully considered move” suggested by Dubey, the son of Gandhi family confidante Suman Dubey, notes the book. And the copy of the Constitution that has gone on to become Rahul’s constant companion was offered to him by Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh, who had a well-preserved pocket-sized copy of the book in his office.
Power shocker at new Congress headquarters
The Congress inaugurated its new headquarters—Indira Bhawan—at Delhi’s 9A, Kotla Marg, with much fanfare in January this year. The multi-storey building, constructed at a cost of nearly Rs 225 crore, is equipped with modern multimedia facilities, presenting a stark contrast to the party’s long-standing office at 24, Akbar Road, which served as its nerve centre for over four decades. Despite officially shifting its base to the new premises, the Congress continues to operate, for all practical purposes, from its old address.
According to party sources, holding organisational activities at Indira Bhawan has proved to be an expensive proposition, with electricity bills reportedly running into lakhs. As a result, from press conferences to meetings of its top working committee, the Congress remains anchored in the Lutyens’ Zone bungalow-once home to a young Aung San Suu Kyi.
Udhayanidhi’s make-over meltdown
In Tamil Nadu, a long-standing internal conflict within the DMK’s first family has quietly intensified, resulting in the dismissal of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s exclusive political strategist.
Udhayanidhi, the party’s youth wing leader and deputy chief minister, was dissatisfied with PEN—the DMK’s in-house strategy firm led by his brother-in-law Sabareesan—and brought in political consultant Sunil Kanugolu for a personal image make-over. However, tensions rose as Sabareesan and the PEN team began undermining Sunil’s efforts, eventually leading to his removal.
Interestingly, after Sunil’s exit, Udhayanidhi has reverted to his traditional formal attire of a white shirt and black trousers, moving away from the T-shirt and jeans look reportedly suggested by Sunil as part of the image make-over strategy.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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