Congress old guard jolts back to life: Rahul's sabbatical is the best thing to happen to the party

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s sudden leave of absence before an important session of Parliament has got the desired impact on the Congress’ obstinate old guard. It has not only put the spotlight back on them, but has also become a reason for party leaders to come together. Though no one exactly knows why the Congress scion going on leave, it has served to convince the party that something is obviously wrong. And the Grand Old Party did what it does best: it suddenly appeared that seniors had shed aside their differences as they jumped into damage control mode. Anyone worth their salt wore aggression on their sleeve, fired up as if in election mode. [caption id=“attachment_2125081” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] Ghulam Nabi Azad took a dig at the BJP, which was facing dissent from allies in the NDA over key issues to Jyotiraditya Scindia leading the pack in Lok Sabha over the controversial Land Acquisition Bill. Senior leader Kamal Nath was also in introspection mode: “The dual system is not working and the party remains confused between Sonia and Rahul Gandhi,” he said. “It’s time to have one person in control, Rahul Gandhi should take charge as Congress president,” he added. The party organised a rally against the Land Acquisition Bill in Delhi where the who’s who of the Congress was present. Even the low profile Ahmed Patel was present, in what was perceived to be a show of unity for Rahul’s leadership. While senior Congress leaders were busy eulogizing Rahul’s leadership after reports leaked that the vice president has proceeded on leave due to seniors not falling in line with him, an old photograph had heads turning towards a relatively lesser known Congress leader. Jagdish Sharma got his two minutes of fame when he claimed Rahul was busy attending to Ma Ganga in Uttarakhand rather than reports of him holidaying in Thailand. “This is not true, as these photos are from October, 2009. This has been done for cheap publicity,”national spokesperson of the party Akhilesh Pratap Singh, , said. “This gentleman is not an office-bearer of the party, there is no basis for anyone to take him seriously,” he added. Sharma is considered close to Congress president’s son in law Robert Vadra and is also a known figure amongst journalists who frequent party headquarters. The treasury benches in Parliament have been rubbing their hands in glee with an “I told you so” look as Congress tries to put up a brave front. Apart from social media jests, posters seeking the whereabouts of Rahul’s also sprang up in Allahabad and other cities. “He is an unmarried child. Let him roam around in Bangkok and Pataya,” Manoj Tiwari, BJP MP from Delhi also told journalists. The brickbat has done some amount of good for the party as all factions seem to be vying with each other over to prove who is more loyal to the next Congress president. “Rahul’s leave did come as a surprise, not because of the reasons but because of the timing,” said a senior Congress leader. “Statements being made by our leaders are being carefully watched. There is only one way to go now, and that is his (Rahul) way,” he confided. With the NDA facing huge expectations in their Rail and General Budgets, this is the best chance that the Congress has got to pin down the government. NDA allies also criticizing the Land Acquisition Bill has come as a shot in the arm for them, and the Congress wants to regain its primacy as a potent opposition party. With Rahul missing, everyone knows it’s their best chance to rise to the occasion and make their presence felt over other equals. That has been the single best thing that happened to the party in almost a year now.