At the CWC meeting of the Grand Old Party, Rahul Gandhi told a packed hall that leaders need to introspect why the floating and young voters were not moving towards the Congress. He made the point that over 60 lakh first-time voters in the state polls that just ended did not seem impressed by the Congress. Trying to find out what went wrong, he asked leaders to do more.
While Rahul Gandhi raised an issue which many other parties are focussing on for the 2024 battle, his ‘nishaana’ (aim) seemed to be the many seniors in the room.
There is no denying the fact that the Gandhi scion has been pitching for a younger Congress, especially when it comes to decision-making. But in a party that still seems to be in the grip of the old guard — which refuses to let go — Rahul Gandhi’s experiments with generation change have seldom met with much success.
Each time he has stood up to say that younger people must be given a chance in organisational responsibilities or made chief ministers, Sonia Gandhi has been forced to step in to sort out differences, with the old guard crying foul and complaining that they have been left out.
Sources say Rahul Gandhi was quite upset when he was asked to solve the Rajasthan issue just before polls and his pitch for Sachin Pilot was drowned out by the old guard’s narrative that replacing or slighting Ashok Gehlot at a crucial time would help the BJP and cost Congress the elections. Rahul Gandhi was also keen that a younger Jitu Patwari and Arun Yadav be given more opportunities in Madhya Pradesh. In both cases, it did not happen.
So, Rahul Gandhi decided to give a free hand to the elders in both these state polls. He held about 10 rallies in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh but seldom made any suggestions in ticket distribution. However, in Telangana, where Rahul Gandhi’s pick Revanth Reddy was projected as the CM face, the former’s team put in all their energy.
As results and stories of mismanagement began to pour in after results were out, Rahul Gandhi did not mince words. At stock-taking meetings, he pointed to the Gehlot-centric campaign in Rajasthan. In fact, this was something that Mallikarjun Kharge also agreed with, like when he said posters and hoardings were all about one man.
At the CWC, with Rahul Gandhi in attendance, Kharge revealed that every time he tried speaking to Kamal Nath, the latter would walk out of meetings.
Rahul Gandhi had also said at an earlier meeting that he had noticed how Madhya Pradesh was slipping out of their hands, even though Congress was in a strong position.
As the results came in and the Congress’s worst fears were confirmed, Rahul Gandhi got enough reason to make his point that the elders had ensured the defeat. The free hand they had been given could not bring a win. The EVM defence given by Digvijaya Singh has few takers in Rahul Gandhi’s scheme of things.
The Gandhi scion, along with Kharge, is now ensuring that the younger lot is handed the reins. For instance, Patwari has been made the MP chief. In Rajasthan, all eyes are on whether Pilot will get his chance, given that Gehlot is shifting to Delhi as part of the newly formed national alliance committee for the 2024 election.
For Rahul Gandhi, it is clearly an “I told you so” moment, much to the chagrin of the Congress top brass.
Comments
0 comment