Rahul Gandhi might agree to stay back, but with conditions

Days after desperate attempts by senior Congress leaders to dissuade him from quitting, Congress president Rahul Gandhi apparently has agreed to reconsider his decision, albeit with conditions, DNA has learnt.

Sources said Gandhi has told the Congress top brass that he would continue as the party president only if he is given a free hand to take calls on matters ranging from ticket distribution to candidates for key posts.

A senior leader, who didn't wish to be named, said Gandhi was quite disappointed with the Congress leadership, particularly from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. "The Congress president had expected a decent number of Lok Sabha seats from these crucial states. His argument was that if the party can win assembly polls, then why not Lok Sabha?"

The leader said Gandhi's assessment was that these state chief ministers focused only on their children and relatives and not the party. "That diverted their attention and resources from other seats. It resulted in the Congress getting decimated once again. Therefore, Gandhi wants a free hand to run the party," said the leader.

Another Congress leader told DNA that while choosing the chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi was in favour of young faces like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, but the old guard pushed for the old names.

"The seniors were very adamant and not willing to give space for young faces. The coterie that was active during Sonia Gandhi's time had again started playing politics. That gave wrong signals to the young leaders as well as voters. Rahul has asked for a free hand in a real sense. Otherwise, he is not willing to withdraw his decision," said the leader.

A senior party functionary from Maharashtra who is close to Gandhi said the Congress president sticks to his word, suggesting that that party may have to look for his successor. "He has already made clear his intention to step down and asked the party to find the next Congress president."

The party source said closed-door deliberations are going on in Delhi to zero in on a name that will be acceptable to everyone as well as the Gandhi family. He added, "Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kamal Nath, Shashi Tharoor are among the names doing the round," said Congress leader requested anonymity."