The statement by former Union Minister P Chidambaram that a non-Gandhi family someday has to become the president of Congress may stir another round of deliberations in the party which is on its way to decimation in aftermath of series of electoral losses.
In a reply to a private news channel’s question that can a non-Gandhi become the Congress president, Chidambaram was affirmative. “I think so. Someday yes,” he remarked. When asked about any time frame, he responded quickly “I do not know”. “I am too old to aspire for anything now,” he, at the same time, said.
His remarks have come at a time when the process of organisational elections has been set in motion, which will culminate into the election of the new party chief by July end next year. Sonia Gandhi is the longest serving party chief being at the helm since March 1998.
To a question as to why the party was over-dependent on one family to lead it, he said, “It so happens that he (Rahul Gandhi) belongs to that family but that does not mean other younger leaders cannot emerge. After all Sachin Pilot has emerged.”
Asked whether he was disappointed by the fact that Sonia has ceded the space and left it to her son, he said, “The question must be put to her. But I think the creation of the post of vice-president and installing Rahul Gandhi to that post was a deliberate strategy to handover the baton to next generation of leadership.”
Chidambaram, who held crucial Home and Finance Ministry under the Manmohan Singh regime also talked about course correction for the grand old party. Talking to NDTV, he said party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi should “speak more” and put in action a timetable that would enable the party to play the role of “true Opposition” at a time when the morale of party cadre is “pretty low”.
He also said that the reorganisation of the party was due for the larger task of being an “efffective, strong and robust Opposition” to the Government. Chidambaram said that Sonia was “numero uno” in the organisation and that the decision in Jaipur in January 2013 to make Rahul the vice-president was “perhaps the correct decision”.
Steering clear of questions about clamour within a section of the party for Priyanka Gandhi, he urged the Congress president and the vice-president “to speak more. I would urge them to address more rallies, urge them to meet the media....” The former Finance Minister dismissed suggestions that the party leadership was not talking even to party workers. The Congress leader also dismissed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks that disclosure of the names of blackmoney account holders can embarrass Congress amid speculation that the list could include a former UPA Minister.