Anger is building up within the Congress!

Anger is building up within the party at the manner in which the leadership is unwilling to act after the defeat. What is certain is that more and more people are likely to speak out.

Renu Mittal / Rediff.com reports

Congress President Sonia Gandhi could appoint Rahul Gandhi as leader of the party in Lok Sabha during the parliamentary party meeting on May 24.

Congress sources told rediff.com that even though no decision has yet been taken on who would be nominated, indications are that Sonia could opt for Rahul as she wants him to gain experience in leading the party.

Senior leader Kamal Nath’s name was also doing the rounds. However, senior members of the All India Congress Committee have indicated that there cannot be a consensus in the party except on the names of Sonia and Rahul.

Meanwhile, Rahul’s close friend Milind Deora, who lost from South Mumbai, was the first to publicly speak out against Rahul and his team, and the manner in which the election management was undertaken. 

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In what is being perceived as a reference to Rahul’s team, Deora said in an interview to a newspaper that ‘those with no electoral experience were calling the shots and should be held responsible for what went wrong’.

Deora further stated that those who had taken the advice of the advisors should also bear responsibility for the party’s defeat.

Later in the day, he tweeted, “Field party work and electoral battles are key to comprehend ground realities. This should form the basis for leadership posts in the Congress”. 

He said, ‘My comments are out of emotions of deep loyalty to the party, pain of our performance and sincere desire to see us bounce back; nothing more’.

Deora’s views are reportedly on the lines of Rahul.

Sources say that Rahul is planning to virtually demolish the AICC set up and many state units and build them afresh.

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Former MP Priya Dutt has openly lamented about disconnect between those who sit in posts and positions and the elected representatives, as most of them are not even consulted even about their own constituencies.

She claimed that Pradesh Congress Committee presidents were sent to fight elections and there was no one to co-ordinate the election management.

This despite Rahul asserting that state presidents and general secretaries would not be contesting the elections.

Anger is building up within the party at the manner in which the leadership is unwilling to act after the defeat and so far it looks unlikely that any major changes may be affected in the days ahead.

But what is certain is that more and more people are likely to speak out.