A new look for the Congress, but how far can Rahul Gandhi go?

Ahead of his elevation as the Congress President, Rahul Gandhi has kick-started the process of assembling a new, predominantly young AICC team. As an icing, he may retain some seniors. There are indications that he may go in for a thorough organisational overhaul, but in installments. The calibrated approach, apparently, is to neutralise any organised rebellion against reforms by the entrenched fossil. Rahul has been facing stiff resistance from the old guards against a wholesale purge. Last week, he surprised political observers by firing his one-time mentor, 70-year-old Digvijaya Singh, as AICC General Secretary In-charge of Goa and poll-bound Karnataka. Singh was replaced by a youthful KC Venugopal, Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, as Karnataka in-charge with the rank of a General Secretary.

Four young Rahul loyalists — Manicka Tagore, PC Vishnunath, Madhu Yashki Goud, and Sake Sailjanath have been appointed AICC Secretaries to assist Venugopal. Another young leader A Chella Kumar, replaced Digvijaya as Goa In-charge. Besides being a motormouth, the latter had messed up government formation in the coastal state despite the Congress emerging as the single largest party. Amit Deshmukh, son of former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, has been elevated to the rank of AICC Secretary, Goa, to co-ordinate with Chella Kumar.

Ashok Gehlot, former CM, Rajasthan, has been appointed General Secretary In-charge of Gujarat, replacing Gurudas Kamat. Gehlot’s appointment became necessary after Kamat, holding the dual charge of Gujarat and Rajasthan, sought to quit. Gehlot is a grassroots politician and among the current crop of leaders he is considered the best bet for Gujarat. Besides, his transfer to Gujarat will give some breathing space to Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan PCC Chief and a Rahul pick. Gehlot has been breathing down Pilot’s neck, triggering factional feuds. Two youth leaders — Rajeev Satav (Lok Sabha MP) and Jitu Patwari (Madhya Pradesh legislator) — have been designated Secretaries to assist Gehlot in Gujarat.

It remains to be seen if Rahul’s obsession with youth will pay off. His earlier recruits — Partap Singh Bajwa (former Punjab PCC Chief), Ajay Maken (Delhi PCC Chief), Sanjay Nirupam (Mumbai), and Raj Babbar (UP) were flop-shows. Bajwa was replaced only after Captain Amarinder Singh threatened to revolt. Kamat, who has been sulking ever since his bête noire Nirupam was appointed Mumbai Congress President, wanted to resign a few months ago but deferred his decision on Sonia Gandhi’s request. Last week, Kamat has requested the Congress President to divest him of his Rajasthan charge as well. In a letter to Gandhi, inter alia, he said: “My heart is not in the job anymore.” Just eight words...that say a lot about the dangerous drift in the Grand Old Party.

The change of guard in Karnataka and Goa indicates that it will not be business as usual and that seniority and loyalty are no longer the sole criteria for AICC placements. The Gandhi scion inherited a moribund party machinery, lacking organisational muscle and talent. While Rahul himself is partly responsible for the sorry denouement, seniors including mother Sonia Gandhi, committed the cardinal mistake of not grooming the gen-next leaders. 

By 2024, when the Congress hopes to stage a comeback, the party will look like a geriatric ward with the current crop nearing or crossing 80 and some like Motilal Vohra, Karan Singh, and Sheila Dikshit joining the nonagenarian club. The million dollar question is: Can Rahul put in place a crack team capable of taking on Amit Shah-Modi election machine?

The author is a senior journalist based in Delhi.