Reader View: Shashi Tharoor, Amarinder Singh, Ashok Gehlot or Sachin Pilot should lead Congress

YourTurn is our new weekly feature in which ThePrint's readers share their views or opinions in response to the question of the week.

(L-R) Ashok Gehlot, Captain Amarinder Singh, Shashi Tharoor | Commons

New Delhi: The Congress party witnessed a dramatic set of events in the past week that exposed the cracks within the party.

Twenty three senior Congress leaders had written a letter to interim President Sonia Gandhi calling for changes in leadership at all levels, triggering a massive turmoil.

Following this, a seven-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee on 24 August was a high-voltage affair with a clash emerging between the signatories of the letter, who demanded “full-time and effective leadership”, and those backing the current leadership.

In view of this crisis in the Congress, for this week’s Your Turn, we asked readers: Which non-Gandhi is most suited to head Congress? 

Here’s what some of them said.

‘Ashok Gehlot a seasoned politician & Congress loyalist’

While offering his resignation, Rahul Gandhi had made it clear to the top Congress leadership that a non-Gandhi family member should succeed him.

It now seems that the 21-year long dynasty rule, which has been a source of criticism and opposition, might come to an end. Many names have started coming up to fill in this position, but Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot seems to be the candidate with the most potential.

Gehlot is a seasoned politician and has been a Congress loyalist for decades. He has robust experience of running a party and had put up a tough fight against the BJP in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly Elections. And most importantly, he seems to have the respect and support of his party members.

Soumini Pyne, Kolkata. Twitter handle: @SouminiPyne

‘Sachin Pilot can bring necessary changes to the Congress’

Amid the ruckus regarding the stand-off with Sachin Pilot, one thing has become explicit: Pilot is a vital part of the Congress. The exit and re-entry of Pilot may have tainted his image as a leader and more so as a member of Congress. The members may also not want to entrust such a prestigious post to someone who had deserted the party.

However, what if we see this incident in a different light — as someone who is dissatisfied with how things are currently within the party, he can bring about necessary changes. Discomfort leads to change and change leads to evolution.

Geetika Ranjan, Patna. Twitter handle: @RanjanGeetika

‘D.K. Shivakumar is ruthless and has killer instinct’

D.K. Shivakumar has the experience, killer instinct, and the organisational skills to lead the Congress. With the Congress facing an existential crisis, it needs to have a leader who has ambition, ruthlessness, and experience managing different groups. One who can inspire cadres to work for the party and is accessible 24×7. Shivakumar is all of this and has proven to be one of the few Congress leaders who gave the BJP a run for its money and helped his party manage multiple crises not only in Karnataka but also in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections and the 2001 Maharashtra crisis.

He is also well connected in the Delhi corridors, has the money muscle coming from a rich state, and is a mass leader in his own state.

Vidyuth Chikoti, San Francisco Bay Area, US. Twitter handle: @followvidyuth

‘Capt Amarinder Singh an ex-serviceman who will benefit the nation’

Captain Amarinder Singh, chief minister of Punjab, will be the most suited to lead the Congress. He is perfect at this juncture, when our nation faces internal and external threats as well. The internal threats are suppression of freedom of expression and the threat of detention if comments go against the so-called principles of the regime. Our country is also under threat from bordering countries. The Galwan ambush by China is the most recent one. Singh is an ex-serviceman, and our nation will definitely benefit from him.

Ujjwal Ghosh, Bhagalpur. Twitter handle: @ghoshspeaks

‘Captain Amarinder & Ashok Gehlot enjoy credible mass appeal’

In my opinion, someone like Captain Amarinder Singh or Ashok Gehlot is best suited to lead the Congress if the party chooses to go ahead with a non-Gandhi president, which I guess is highly unlikely.

However, the reason for Singh or Gehlot to lead the party is not only that both of them are very seasoned politicians but also because they enjoy credible mass appeal in their home states, which few leaders do in today’s Congress. They also have a fair share of administrative experience and have been close to the Gandhi family as well.

Another factor that may work in their favour is that both of them recently condemned the letter, which was written by several senior Congress leaders. It is important for the new president to come up with a long-term vision to strengthen the core of the party.

— Raja Reeshav Roy, Patna. Twitter handle: @rajareeshav

‘Shashi Tharoor a recognisable leader for Indian youth’ 

My vote for the next Congress President goes to Shashi Tharoor. He has all the necessary qualifications and experience, and with 7.2 million followers on Twitter, he is a respected and recognisable figure for the Indian youth. This combination is very rare among Congress members.

Yes, his language of choice does alienate him from the hinterland, but that can easily be counteracted by bringing in Captain Amarinder Singh as the PM candidate. Him being an ex-soldier will serve to refute the BJP’s nationalist agenda. With him as the face, and Shashiji at the helm, the Congress may stand a fighting chance.

— Aaditya Govind Rao, Lucknow. Twitter handle: @aaditya_2001

‘Tharoor can moderate anti-Hindu and Left ideology in Congress’

I prefer Shashi Tharoor as a non-Gandhi Congress chief. He is one of the few Congress leaders to have won elections through popular vote and does not pose a threat to the Gandhi family. He is a good communicator and has also improved his Hindi. He wants to work across the aisle.

He is acceptable to young voters who now prefer the BJP. He can moderate the anti-Hindu disposition and Left-wing ideology that the Congress is now associated with. But he is not a mass leader. Then, neither was Narasimha Rao who steered the party through difficult times.

— Kaushik Mukherjee, Oxford, US. Twitter handle: @mail4kaushikm

‘Congress needs a visionary leader like Ghulam Nabi Azad’

Ghulam Nabi Azad would be well-suited as the Congress president. He is a senior, a well-experienced and visionary leader. He worked tirelessly as the health minister of India and also as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He has always raised his voice fearlessly as an opposition leader. He also has the confidence of public at large, even in Jammu and Kashmir.

He will also do justice to the spirit and vision of the Congress — which comprises of equality, acceptance and tolerance. The past few years have been very stressful and degrading for minorities and since he belongs to a minority group, the Congress can extend the message of justice, equality and brotherhood in these hard times. The Opposition as well as the Congress, needs a strong and visionary president like Azad.

Silviya Irshad, Patna

‘Kapil Sibal can regain lost reputation of Congress’

In my opinion, senior congress leader Kapil Sibal should be heading the Congress party. I think Congress needs an experienced face to handle the sinking boat of Congress, who can regain the lost reputation of the party in the last few years. He made a very strong point — “It’s not about the post, it’s about the welfare of the country that matters the most” — after the seven hour CWC meeting, which shows his concern about the party as well as the country.

He always voices his opinions on various prominent issues that is an important quality that should be there in a leader. The country needs an outspoken leader who considers and talks about the issues of the general public. Congress needs a ‘visible’, ‘effective’ and a ‘full-time’ leader and all these three major requirements are justified with Sibal’s personality.

Pooja Kumari, Patna. Twitter Handle: @Poojaku61722174

‘Mallikarjun Kharge has a spotless political career’

I believe, Rajya Sabha MP Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge is the most-suited to head Congress. Kharge has the qualities needed to be a competent leader. He is an adept politician and has a pretty spotless political career. Kharge is also well-versed in the nuances of diplomacy, law and administration.

He has won the Assembly elections for an incredible nine consecutive times. Congress needs a proficient, adept and admired leader, and Kharge has proved his political prowess from time to time.

Saumya Sumu, Patna