No tradition in party to declare PM candidate, justifies Sonia; Cong V-P to lead poll campaign
The Congress on Thursday backed off from pitting its vice-president Rahul Gandhi against BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi in the forthcoming lok Sabha election. Despite much hype surrounding Rahul’s role, the Congress leadership seemed to have developed cold feet at the eleventh hour and decided not to project Rahul as its prime ministerial nominee. However, Rahul will lead Congress poll campaign. The Pioneer was the first newspaper to report that the chances of Rahul’s anointment were dim.
Though most Congress leaders have been singing “Rahul for PM” chorus, Congress president Sonia Gandhi herself stepped out to take her son out of Modi’s line of fire.
At the crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Thursday, Sonia cited party’s tradition to reject demand to anoint Rahul as a PM candidate.
“We (party) do not have the tradition of anointing a PM candidate before polls. let other parties do it. If anyone else has done, let them go by it. The Congress has a history of electing a PM or a CM by its elected representatives so let’s not discuss it anymore,” Sonia said in the midst of two-hour long CWC.
Incidentally, last month after the Assembly polls debacle, Sonia said that “the party would announce a PM candidate at an opportune time.”
While Gandhi’s statement had raised prospect that Rahul will take on Modi in a direct fight, Rahul’s interview to a Hindi daily early this week also indicated he was ready to take up the responsibility. Rahul said in the interview that he was a sepoy of the party and was ready to shoulder any responsibility the party gave him.
Reacting to the CWC decision, Rahul again said he was a dedicated worker of the party and would carry out whatever responsibility was given by the organisation. On the prolonged debate in the country over his projection, Rahul said there was an attempt to hurt the ideology of the Congress and he was committed to protecting it.
While several young leaders backed Rahul’s projection as a PM nominee, Sonia Gandhi’s refusal to discuss the “PM issue” led to a complete silence inside the Parliament Annexe where the deliberations was conducted in the evening.
AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi endorsed Sonia’s view. Singh also pointed out what the party Constitution said in this matter. He was backed by Ml Fotedar, who said this was a perfect decision.
A section of the Congress leaders have contended that if Rahul was named as PM candidate “then all the ills of the 10-year UPA regime will fall on his shoulders and he would be compared even before he is the PM. That will be a hara-kiri on the part of party.”
The party, however, decided to make Rahul the campaign committee chief making it obvious that if the opportunity arrived for a UPA Government, he will be the next PM as Manmohan Singh has already announced a no third term for himself.
In the CWC, the demand for Rahul to be made PM candidate was raised by Kerala PCC chief Ramesh Chennithala. He argued that Rahul should be anointed as PM candidate in order to boost the sagging morale of party workers. Ramesh instantly received a chorus of support from leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, BK Hari Prasad and Gurudas Kamat. Youth Congress chief Rajiv Satav too pitched in saying the youth needed a dynamic leader and a PM candidate like Rahul Gandhi.
Briefing the media, Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said that in the Congress the question of making anyone a PM candidate never arose starting from the era of Jawaharlal Nehru to the 2004 elections.
“It is always clear who is the leader in the Congress. It is never an issue for us. It is an issue for those parties which have seen intense rivalry and dissension over their prime ministerial candidates,” Dwivedi, considered to be voice of 10, Janpath, said.
Dwivedi sought to dismiss the perception that the Congress was shying away from declaring its PM candidate due to apprehension of a poor show in the next polls at a time when Modi-led BJP appears to have an advantage. “If the election campaign is happening under his leadership, then in a way the future leadership is also in his hands,” Dwivedi said.
Meanwhile, the BJP said the Congress avoided naming Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate as it was aware of an impending defeat in the lok Sabha polls.
The main Opposition said naming of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress’ prime ministerial nominee would have led to comparison with Narendra Modi against whom the Congress vice-president “stands no chance”.
Party president Rajnath Singh said the Congress decision indicated that they accepted that Modi was going to be the Prime Minister. leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said the decision of the Congress demonstrated that it had recognised the reality.
“I think it is recognition of reality since they know they are not going to form the government. Then there was no need to announce its PM candidate. I think, any party which takes a decision of this kind weighs the realities,” he said.
He said the Congress intention would also have been to “duck” a comparison with Modi for the country’s top post.
BJP’s Deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress knew that it would lose badly and it did not want a head of the Gandhi family to be its prime ministerial candidate in such a situation.