Maintaining a strategic silence on the ongoing tussle between the senior leadership of both Punjab and Haryana, the party general secretary in-charge of the two States Shakeel Ahmad on Monday asserted that the elevation of Rahul Gandhi as party chief will be a mutual decision between him and party chief Sonia Gandhi.
“Congress leaders and party workers want Rahul Gandhi to become the party president one day. A decision regarding ‘that day’ will be taken mutually by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi,” he said.
The party circles are rife with the speculations that the reigns of the oldest political party would be handed over to the Nehru-Gandhi scion any time, though several senior leaders, including Punjab’s former chief minister and Congress deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh, have pressed for Sonia Gandhi’s continuation as party president.
Patiala Royal had maintained that any attempt to foist Rahul Gandhi could lead to a possible split in the party, and only Sonia Gandhi could give tough fight to the stature of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
On this, Ahmad said that Capt Amarinder has already clarified that he was never opposed to the idea. Capt Amarinder had later submitted that he was never against Rahul Gandhi taking over the party reins, “but this is not the right time for Rahul to take over the reins as the situation and circumstances demand that Sonia Gandhi should continue”.
Ahmad, who is in-charge of party affairs of Punjab and Haryana, eluded questions about infighting in the party’s state units witnessing power struggle between Capt Amarinder and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pratap Singh Bajwa in Punjab, and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Hayana Pradesh Congress Committee president Ashok Tanwar in Haryana.
“I am not going to answer any questions on Haryana and Punjab. I have already said that I am addressing the press conference as party’s spokesperson and not as party affairs in-charge…I will answer these queries when I will come as party affairs in-charge,” he said.
Ahmad, taking on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, said that in last one year, it has failed on all aspects and also in fulfilling the promises it made to the masses.
He said that instead of the Union Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Modi is visiting the foreign countries along with Gautam Adani. “Adani should be declared as foreign minister,” said Ahmad.
“Modi, during his foreign visits, use to lead its party, BJP, and not the nation. He has ruined the image of India at the national level,” said the Congress leader.
He criticized the NDA government for forcefully imposing land Acquisition Bill. “Modi’s schemes including Swacchh Bharat, Make in India, have remained unsuccessful,” he said.