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Sheila Dikshit questions Rahul Gandhi's ability to lead Congress, wants Sonia Gandhi to continue

Even when speculation continues over Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's return, ex Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit  has dropped  a bombshell. 

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Even when speculation continues over Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's return, ex Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit  has dropped  a bombshell. 

In an interview to PTI, Dikshit said that there are question marks over Rahul Gandhi's leadership quality. She has urged Sonia Gandhi to continue holding the mantle of the party at a time when Congress's electoral fortunes has dwindled to an all time low in Lok Sabha. 

Rahul Gandhi has been conspicuous by his absence from active politics in last couple of months. Just days before the start of the Budget session of the Parliament, Congress VP went for a sabbatical to introspect about the future of the party. Since then there has been no communication about whereabouts of him. Rahul however is expected to be part of a massive farmers rally the party is scheduled to hold on 19th April. 

His vanishing act has spawned a series of tongue-in-cheek comments about his choice of holiday spot and what he might be doing, and "missing" posters have been pasted on walls in his rural constituency.

Jokes aside, Gandhi's decision to go on a holiday at the start of a parliamentary session, at a time when Congress was attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi over land policy, has led to doubts about his commitment to politics. 

"He's entitled to have a leave for a holiday, but the timing was wrong, because we had the budget session going on, and the issue of land acquisition was to be debated, he could have gone when there was a recess," party leader Digvijaya Singh said. Singh, who this week said Gandhi would be back in time to lead a farmers' rally on April 19, was referring to Modi's attempt to make it easier for industry to acquire land, a policy that Congress has called anti-farmer.

While Gandhi has been away, his mother, party president Sonia Gandhi, has taken full-time charge, leading a rally and visiting villages to protest against the land law. In February, Congress said Rahul Gandhi needed time off to reflect on electoral defeats and plot the future of the party.

Many Congress party members want Gandhi to take over from his mother, despite having led the party to its worst ever election defeat last year when he was chief campaigner against Modi. Gandhi's laid-back approach contrasts with the relentless work schedule of Modi, who claims never to take days off work.

But in the meanwhile there has been rumbling in the party regarding change in leadership. The likes of Amarinder Singh has publicly urged Sonia Gandhi to continue in the top post. Sheila essentially says the same but she has been more forthright in her views casting doubt on Rahul's leadership quality.  

Earlier Sandeep Dikshit too had sparked off a debate in Congress with his remarks that Sonia is the "leader" for "99 per cent of" partymen and she is needed at the helm at this time more than ever in the past.

Speaking separately, Digvijay Singh insisted that a generational change has to take place, wondering "can you defy the law of nature?".

"A generational change has to take place. It is the law of nature. Can you defy the law of nature", Singh, who is a senior AICC General Secretary, told reporters. Singh at the outset made it clear that it was for the Congress President to decide on the next party chief.

"Leave that to the leader", he remarked when asked as to when a change at the top will be possible."It is for her to decide. She is the leader and she shall remain the leader." He said that the Congress Working Committee was "supreme" to take a decision on the issue and it could be ratified by the AICC. 

The party is expected to go through further churning while deciding on the leadership issue in the future.

With agency inputs

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