Young guns in Congress feel 'short-changed' over delay in Rahul's elevation

The leadership styles of the two Gandhis being different, the party appears to be pulling in different ways. While Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving Congress president, seems more predisposed to holding the government accountable on issues of probity, the younger Gandhi is more keen on taking up battles that ensure immediate victories.

Months after the Congress's poll rout last year, its vice president, Rahul Gandhi, began an intensive process of deliberations with members at all levels on overhauling the 130-year-old entity. Soon, his re-energised and vocal post-sabbatical avatar fuelled the buzz about him taking over the mantle of party president.

Instead, the Congress Working Committee, its highest decision-making body, last week extended Sonia Gandhi's term as party chief.

The much-awaited roadmap rollout has been relegated to the backburner.

This has led to more confusion in the party on the next course of action. At the CWC meet, no one spoke on the current political scenario; it was on the prodding of Sonia Gandhi that seniors ultimately spoke. Insiders admit the gloom that set in after the May 2014 results, when it got only 44 seats in the Lok Sabha, a historic low, still prevails.

However, some optimism has lately crept in with the "victory" over the land acquisition bill issue. The party has resolved to publicise it to the hilt, with a 'victory rally' at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on Sunday.

However as a senior in the parliamentary party observed, "As an opposition we may have held our own but this euphoria could be shortlived. Should the Bihar poll results be adverse, and the Bharatiya Janata Party register a victory, we will be on the back foot."

He added the prospects for the party in the state assembly polls of 2016 and 2017 look bleak. Anti-incumbency in Assam and Kerala is considered a forgone conclusion. The UP polls in 2017 hold no promise for it.

Denying suggestions the party was ill-equipped for the future and to take on the BJP's growing footprint, veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters, "We are extremely fortunate, where we have the convergence of the matured leadership of Sonia Gandhi and youthful vigour of Rahul Gandhi, with a perfect division of work." Another veteran and a former Union minister told Business Standard, "In the midst of battle (Bihar and other state polls), you don't change generals. We are well on our way to achieve Mission 2019."

However, the majority within the party perceive this as a ploy by the insecure 'old guard' to stall Rahul Gandhi's taking charge. An insider described it as a move by "covert players at work", preventing the Gandhi scion from implementing his ideas of much-needed transition within the party -- bringing in a new team, new office-bearers, ushering in a tech-savvy party. A coterie of veterans around the party president, he said, had managed to project it as an ill-timed move on the brink of crucial state polls, delaying the scion's anointment by at least a year.

This has also derailed prospects of a long overdue 'rejig' of All India Congress Committee general secretaries and Pradesh Congress Committees. For now, Sonia Gandhi will continue to lead the party, with Rahul Gandhi playing second fiddle. 'RG', as he is referred to in party circles, will continue in his 'active' avatar, undertaking tours across the country and taking up issue-based agitations, says a member of Team Rahul. Having smelt victory on the land acquisition issue, Gandhi has advised the rank and file to take up such agitations to connect with the masses.

Even so, discloses a leader considered close to the scion, "the young guns feel short-changed". It was exactly a year before, in September 2014, that 14 young AICC secretaries had for the first time issued a statement against "seniors" who were publicly questioning Rahul Gandhi's leadership capabilities. The party soon put an end to that, with veteran Janardan Dwivedi, AICC general secretary in charge of the organisation, writing to them to refrain from advising seniors through the media.

Political observers question why, despite the success of the Congress in its role as opposition in Parliament (washout of the monsoon session, stalling the government's GST levy plans), there has been no move by the high command to convert the party into an election winning machinery. Critics allege there is still reluctance within the Gandhi scion to shoulder greater responsibilities.

"Rebellion has been brewing in several states and it continues to be unaddressed, be it Punjab, Assam and now Bengal. Remember, leadership is tested only in adversity," said a CWC member. The failure to tackle dissidence head-on has resulted in Himanta Biswa Sarma breaking away from the Congress and bolstering the BJP's chances in Assam.

The lack of personnel management skills in the scion is also under attack, with Gandhi accused of being surrounded by "rootless leaders". Denying this, a young leader ascribed this to a lack of clarity in the leadership. "Be it a young Ashok Tanwar (PCC chief) in Haryana or a Arun Yadav (PCC chief) in Madhya Pradesh, they never had a free hand, with entrenched senior leaders like Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana and a whole line of senior leaders such as Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh in MP." Both Tanwar and Yadav were chosen by Rahul Gandhi. The result was an unwieldy 168-member executive committee in the MP Congress.

The stasis within the party has been compounded by the membership base not expanding and the Congress being compelled to postpone its organisational polls till 2016. It has resorted to devices like increasing the quota for separate sections to woo more numbers.

When asked how the party intends to combat the reality of 2016, when the Congress is slated to lose its hold over the Rajya Sabha after the biennial state elections, a senior in the parliamentary party said there were no plans, as of now.

The leadership styles of the two Gandhis being different, the party appears to be pulling in different ways. While Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving Congress president, seems more predisposed to holding the government accountable on issues of probity, the younger Gandhi is more keen on taking up battles that ensure immediate victories.

More than a year after 2014, the Congress continues to be in drift, with Narendra Modi and his government losing no opportunities to label it a liability and question its existence. Being the principal opposition grouping, the Congress needs to do course correction soon and throw off its risk-averse attitude, if it envisions a bright future for itself after 2019.

Conflicting statements

On the prospects of Rahul Gandhi being elevated to Congress president

Digvijaya Singh: "A generational change has to take place. It is the law of nature. Can you defy the law of nature ?"

Ghulam Nabi Azad: "As far as the Congress is concerned, we are extremely happy with the current leadership, where we have a convergence of a senior and matured Sonia Gandhi and a youthful and energetic Rahul Gandhi providing united leadership, with a perfect division of work."

On stalling Parliament

Rahul Gandhi: "Parliament should function, but it needs discussion. It is not like an RSS shakha. India is a country with diversity and not a closed system where decisions can be imposed."

"The BJP-led government must realise that Parliament is a forum for discussion and nothing can be imposed without allowing opposition to express its voice and views. It should not brush aside opposition."

Shashi Tharoor: The disruption tactics -- a repeat of what the BJP did when it was in the opposition -- might not be effective. The government will, in all likelihood, brazen out the opposition attack.

Congress MP in Rajya Sabha M S Gill, supported Tharoor by saying, "There are several pressing issues that need to be discussed. I would like to see Parliament work. The country has many serious problems. The 1.3 billion people of the country have many grave problems. So, we need to discuss and decide something for them and solve their problems."

Image: Congress president Sonia Gandhi with her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters.