Rahul Gandhi wanted the tickets to be alloted to only those who had worked for at least three years in the party, but political compulsions and a lack of such candidates in several States didn't let that happen. leaders of the Congress also say that Karuna Shukla, niece of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, cricketer Mohammed Kaif, Nandan Nilekani and Ravi Kishan have not worked for the party for a single day and yet managed to get the tickets
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s formula for ticket distribution appears to have failed again. This was perhaps the first time Rahul took the responsibility to allocate the tickets, but he probably could not impose all of the conditions. Consequently, almost half of the tickets have been or will be given to those leaders who are aged above 50 years. At the Jaipur Chintan Shivir he had made it abundantly clear that the State presidents and district presidents would not be allowed to contest elections. However, in its first list of candidates, the Congress has put the names of Nirmal Khatri and Arun Yadav. likewise, Rahul wanted the tickets to be allotted to only those who had worked for at least three years in the party, but political compulsions in several States didn’t let that happen. leaders of the Congress also say that Karuna Shukla, niece of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, cricketer Mohammed Kaif, Nandan Nilekani and Ravi Kishan have not worked for the party for a single day and yet managed to get the tickets.
KARAT's DESPERATION
CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat is turning to be the last captain of the left Front ship. Under his leadership the front is facing the most difficult time and that is why there is resentment within the party. Questions and criticism are openly being aired on his initiative to form the front. He has contacted everyone right from M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa to Mulayam Singh Yadav and Nitish Kumar for a solution. No wonder, the Third Front has already started to crumble. The RSP, which was a part of the left Front for the last three-and-a-half decades, has announced its decision to part its ways. Karat is also the reason behind the controversy between VS Achuthanandan and Pinayari Vijayan, as well as the resignation of senior leader Rezzak Mollah. Apart from all these, the rise of the AAP has also weakened the left Front.
HYPERACTIVE PAWAR
NCP chief Sharad Pawar has decided not to contest the lok Sabha elections. He has entered Parliament via Rajya Sabha and is now putting his strategies right for the post-election scenario. It is believed that Pawar has created obstacles in the formation of the Third Front, though he was the first one to take the initiative to join it. His party was not invited to the meeting which was held after the Muzaffarnagar riots, although the NCP’s DP Tripathi was there on his own insistence. Now, Pawar’s party is active in diffusing the so-called Third Front. According to reliable sources, he is trying to bring Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik on one platform with YSR’s Jaganmohan Reddy. But his first priority is to bring the old leaders of the Congress together. He is projecting himself as the chairman of this new emerging front. His intention is also to create revolt within the Congress against the Gandhi family if the party gets confined to 70-80 seats.
If a demand for change in leadership emerges, or some MPs leave the party, then Pawar could form a front and include old leaders of the Congress in it. It will not be difficult for Pawar to coax a hesitant Naveen Patnaik as well. Obviously, Pawar has made an ambitious plan but its success will depend on election results.
DIGVIJAY DIRECTING RAHUl
Rahul Gandhi is working as per the plan made by Digvijay Singh. Reportedly, Singh has said that the Congress should also become a cadre-based party like the BJP and the left. He is talking about forming the cadre among Dalits, tribes, students and women. Singh is also claiming that the Congress is an ideology-based party, appealing people to join it. But, the fact is that principally the Congress has never been guided by any single ideology. Even before Independence, the party used to work like a movement in which people with diverse ideologies worked together. That continued post-Independence as well. If it becomes cadre-based, then the whole philosophy of the Congress will turn upside down. In the BJP and the left, questions can be raised on leadership but the ideology can’t be questioned. On the contrary, in the Congress, ideology can be questioned but not the leadership.
MOTORMOUTH KHURSHID
If it comes to making statements, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has left all other leaders of his party way behind. No wonder, Khurshid recently called Narendra Modi ‘impotent’ over which Rahul had to express displeasure. When Khurshid was asked about it, he said that Rahul was the boss and had every right to be unhappy.
Before attacking Modi, Khurshid had targeted the AAP and had said that some of the worst people were in that party. He had not even spared Jagdambika Pal who till recently used to be his colleague. When Pal announced his decision to leave the Congress, Khurshid said, “Where there is maal, there is Jagdambika Pal.” The leaders of the Congress are not able to cope up with Khurshid and the opponents are wondering how a product of good, Western education can be so bad-mouthed!
The manifesto TUSSlE
Though Congress president Sonia Gandhi had given the responsibility to prepare the manifesto to AK Antony, in reality it is being prepared by Jairam Ramesh and Mohan Gopal. Rahul himself is roaming in different parts of the country, meeting different groups and gathering issues for the manifesto and on that basis, the Ramesh and Gopal are preparing the manifesto.
Interestingly, sources in the Congress say that both Ramesh and Gopal are not comfortable with each other. Both don’t leave a single chance to humiliate each other. The latter reportedly believes that for his part of the work, Ramesh has roped in the inexperienced youths connected with NGOs. Ramesh, on the other hand, thinks that Gopal is gradually replacing him in Team Rahul.
GADKARI'S TRICK
Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s meeting with MNS leader Raj Thackeray has been only partially successful. He has proposed Raj not to fight elections this time. Thackeray refused, but has decided to support Narendra Modi. He has indicated to the BJP cadre and Modi supporters that if they vote for him, then it would ultimately benefit Modi. Without an official alliance with the BJP, he has made himself a part of the NDA.
If the BJP is benefitted with this move of Raj Thackeray, then the credit would go to Nitin Gadkari. The reason is that before Gadkari, Gopinath Munde had also met Raj and put forth the same proposal but it couldn’t materialise then. Due to Gadkari, Thackeray has indirectly joined the NDA and it is also being said that Gadkari can use him to increase the number of seats in his area of dominance — Vidarbha. This will increase his stature in Maharashtra’s politics.