The senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Monday said that he will be happy if Rahul would have made a return as Congress chief, however, he would also reflect on Priyanka becoming the party President. Since the grand old party has no space to express views, Congress should hold camps as it did at Pachmarhi in 1998.
Either Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
According to The Print, Congress senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar suggests that if Rahul Gandhi is not willing to take the responsibility, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should take over as Congress president, calling it “as the last case scenario”.
He said that they (Congress members) are not getting enough space to express themselves freely within the party.
Seeing the COngress suffer almost in every election, Aiyar stressed the necessity for a full-time party president and said if the current interim president Sonia Gandhi can carry on then she should or else Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should hold the post.
Full-time president
“There is an immediate need for a full-time president and it could be Rahul or as a last case scenario Priyanka. If Rahul decides to take on the responsibility and resumes I will be quite happy,” the senior Congress leader said.
“As there is no adequate space within the party to express themselves freely many speak out. As Manish Tewari had suggested we need to have a series of Pachmarhi camps of 1998 that will allow Congressmen and women to express themselves freely within the party forums,” he added.
In 1998, the Congress had held brainstorming sessions in Madhya Pradesh’s Pachmarhi soon after Sonia Gandhi had taken over as the party president.
CWC not inspiring at all: Aiyar
After witnessing Scindia’s exit, the former union minister said that not only the young leaders but the spirits of older ones are also being stopped in the Congress and that the party needs to provide a platform to them within the structure to express themselves freely.
“Ambitions of both young and old have been thwarted. One needs to express oneself freely and there is not adequate party space to do so,” Aiyar said.
Aiyar further slammed the current Congress general secretaries, saying they were not inspiring at all. “The leadership is coming from right on top or from the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Even the CWC is not what it was before. Where are the strong regional leaders now?” he asked.
“The fact that the top leadership’s control is weak is why there are all these revolts in the legislative party taking place in various states,” he added.
