The Mumbai visit by the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary on April 27 seems more as a move to reassert his leadership in the organisation post-UP debacle.
The Mumbai visit by the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi on April 27 seems more as a move to reassert his leadership in the organisation post-UP debacle, rather than a genuine attempt at restoring order in the state Congress in view of the 2014 assembly polls.
In fact, a senior Congress leader said on the conditions on anonymity that the big question is: Will Maharashtra go the UP way in the 2014 elections? “What are the immediate steps required to arrest the party’s electoral decline in Maharashtra?” he asked, while wondering if Gandhi would be able to take the much-needed harsh decisions to overhaul the state Congress’ functioning?
While the Gandhi visit on the surface may look like having thrown the organisation into a pro-active mode, with office-bearers gearing up for the day-long interaction session with the AICC general secretary, none of the senior cabinet ministers have any clue of the agenda. “I am absolutely clueless of the issues up for discussion. In any case, our brief is not to question but listen,” said a senior minister candidly.
With a majority of senior leaders and ministers having returned to their respective constituencies to tackle problems of water crisis and drought in their respective regions, the party termed the Gandhi visit a result of the initiative by AICC general secretary Maharashtra in-charge Mohan Prakash and MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre. Interestingly, there is simmering discontent within the state Congress against the leadership of the two. An AICC functionary confirmed having received numerous delegations from across the state in the past three months complaining against the duo.”
Political observers, however, maintained that a three-pronged strategy, rather than hollow messages from the central leadership and thunderous applause of 1,000-odd block and state-level delegates, will boost the moral of the rank and file. The central leadership must end its ambiguity over leadership changes on all three fronts. Sooner, rather than later, they must take a call on if the Thakre-Prakash duo can steer the state Congress to assembly elections, apart from spelling it out to the workers if it is confident about the state being led by CM Prithviraj Chavan.
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