Young turks vs veterans: Congress battle heats up but where is Rahul?

The normally reticent Rahul Gandhi has shown some signs of emerging from his shell since the UPA lost power. First he trooped into the well of Lok Sabha to demand a debate on communal violence, then made an impromptu statement that the government wasn’t listening to anyone, and in perhaps his most incisive attack so far, accused the Prime Minister of failing to govern “The PM is playing drum in Japan while there is no electricity here and prices are rising,” Rahul said yesterday, a statement that earned him multiple headlines. Unfortunately, Rahul’s inability to handle questions from Amethi residents is  also making headlines , diluting the impact of his criticism. However, the statement from the Congress vice president couldn’t have come at a more crucial time, as a generational battle brews amid the Congress ranks. Younger leaders are demanding that veterans refrain from publicly raising doubts about Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, and the party from the outside looks like a house divided against itself. [caption id=“attachment_1698519” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Rahul Gandhi in Amethi on Thursday. PTI[/caption] On Thursday, four AICC secretaries approached senior general secretary Janardan Dwivedi and gave him a letter criticizing the party’s older guard. According to an Economic Times report , the letter mainly contains four points: Seniors should not add to the “negativity” by making public comments disproving of Rahul’s style; Congress has to work on internal unity and general secretaries must air views only within party fora; general secretaries should concentrate on affairs of their respective state units they are assigned to; show respect to Gandhi family and protect Congress unity. A Telegraph report said the secretaries received a rap on the wrist from Dwivedi for taking their complaints to the media, but was told that they had chosen this path due to the irresponsible statements by senior leaders. However, for all their bluster they had to leave with the promise that Dwivedi would write to party leaders as part of his continuing battle to impose discipline in the party, asking them to “rededicate themselves to rebuild the party under Rahul’s leadership”. Senior leader and family loyalists Digvijaya Singh – who has openly said that the Congress vice president could have done better to boost the party’s chances in the Lok Sabha election – responded thus:

The problem for the young turks is not the bad attitude of the old guard but the erratic performance of their own chosen leader. As  the Times of India notes  of his recent volley aimed at Mod, “But the attack is one-off and should not be seen as the indication of Rahul coming into public more just to blunt the in-house criticism” The Gandhi scion may be playing smart politics by letting the younger leaders he has nurtured to take up his cause in the public, while he focuses on internal reform. At least the unnamed sources who spoke to TOI want claim it is so:

Rahul Gandhi is undeterred by the chatter about his political abilities, focused as he is on putting the organization in order before making any show of his leadership of Congress in public.    Close aides said Rahul would not be hustled into appearing to be active and has a plan of action to rejuvenate the organization. They said the immediate priority is to fill the gaps in the party structure and renew the leadership within.  

Whether this is sound strategy or just wishful thinking remains to be seen.