In a dramatic manoeuvre to combat the existential crisis, the Congress party has declared that no one from the Gandhi family will run for the post of the President of the age-old party. This comes after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot declared that Rahul Gandhi has indicated unequivocally that no member of the Gandhi family should be the next chief.
On Wednesday, CM Gehlot expressed his intention to continue as the CM of Rajasthan even if he is elected as the chief of the Congress party. However, he gave up on his plan as Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that one person will hold a single post in the party. The confirmation of Gehlot has contributed to the bustle around the Rajasthan chief minister’s office, which the senior politician may be required to leave in accordance with the party’s Chintan Shivir reforms, which called for “one party, one post.”
“I have requested Rahul Gandhi multiple times to accept everyone’s proposal of becoming the Congress President. He made it clear that no one from the Gandhi family should become the next chief,” he added.
This does not sound strange that even to contest in the elections and present candidature, advice is sought from the Gandhi family only. Rahul Gandhi is the one who has decided that no one from his family is going to contest for the post. The Gandhi family is, apparently, taking all decisions in the party including the decision that they will not take any decisions in the party.
The decision that no member of the Gandhi family will be Congress president has been taken by, wait, the Gandhi family. Also, any aspirant for the post has to seek the blessings of Sonia Gandhi first.
This stunt goes in the line with the same stunt the Congress party pulled in 2004 when Sonia Gandhi ‘sacrificed’ the Prime Ministership, as per the ecosystem’s narrative. Reported worldwide as Sonia Gandhi humbly ‘rejecting’ the post, this came to be one of the biggest political gimmicks by the Congress party. It is evident how even without holding the post of Prime Minister of India, Sonia Gandhi acted as the Super Prime Minister, making the most important decisions from 10 Janpath Road, New Delhi through her National Advisory Council.
It was the reason Manmohan Singh was famously known as the remote-controlled Prime Minister.
In other words, Sonia Gandhi was running the government, without being accountable for it.
In the current scenario, when the party is facing an existential crisis and trying all means to mobilise popular support and gain power, such a drama to present a false narrative to the public of India, that the party won’t be controlled by the Gandhi family, is fooling no one.
The truth is that whether the president is elected from the Gandhi family or not, the directions and decisions that will be adhered to by the party will only come from ‘the’ family. Just like how Sonia Gandhi acted as the Super Prime Minister with Dr Manmohan Singh as the puppet PM, the family will continue to head the party.
Funnily, this has been substantiated by the fact that Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot himself admitted how the role and stature of Gandhis will never diminish. Gehlot stated that if he became Congress president, Rajasthan state in-charge Ajay Maken and Sonia Gandhi would determine who would replace him in Rajasthan. Gehlot indicated that even if he becomes the party’s President, he will have to knock on the door of 10 Janpath Road to gain approval for any decision. On Monday, Ashok Gehlot is expected to file his nomination papers.
Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, was the first to proclaim his desire to run for president, and he solicited approval from Sonia Gandhi early on. Again, a ‘yes’ from Congress royal family was essential for Shashi Tharoor to even consider running for the post.
