BJP takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi's imminent elevation, says top post reserved for one family in Congress

New Delhi: The BJP took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi’s imminent elevation as Congress chief, saying the top post of that party is reserved only for one family while even booth-level workers have become BJP presidents. “Can an ordinary booth level worker aspire to be the national president of the Congress? Or is the post reserved only for the family? Is it possible even for a state level leader to even aspire to be considered for the post,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said. The Union minister cited the examples of BJP chief Amit Shah and his predecessors Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh,  saying they were all ordinary booth-level workers in the party before they went on to head the party. Whoever is elected as Congress president is its own affair but the presidency is coming like an entitlement to Rahul Gandhi not necessarily because of merit but because of family connection, Prasad said. The Congress had extraordinary leaders like Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ranjendra Prasad and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who fought for the freedom movement, he said, adding that people hardly get to hear about their grandchildren and great grandchildren. BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said performance and capability do not matter in “dynastic” Congress. Despite a disastrous track record, he said, Rahul’s elevation as the next Congress chief is a foregone conclusion. “The timing of the elevation though is curious. It seems Sonia Gandhi wanted to pass the leadership mantle to son Rahul Gandhi before yet another impending defeat in Gujarat as it would have made it embarrassing for the Congress to reward him after a defeat,” Rao said.