A day after a senior Congress functionary said Congress president Sonia Gandhi was fit to address an official function in Uttarakhand, she called off her trip, with party sources citing viral fever as the reason.
Under normal circumstances, the last-minute cancellation of such a trip might have gone unnoticed. But with the Uttarakhand rally — the first public meeting outside Delhi since Ms. Gandhi's return from the United States after surgery and her attendance at the function being projected by the party as a sign that she was getting back to normal — her absence, understandably, triggered speculation in political circles.
This was especially so, as the last few weeks have seen a blitz of media reports about her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi taking over from his mother as party president — or, at least, working president. While all these stories were unsourced, party general secretary Digvijay Singh added fuel to the fire earlier this week, saying it was time Mr. Gandhi played a larger role: “Right now he is looking only after the Youth Congress and the student wing of the party,” Mr. Singh said, adding, “I feel now he has to look after us.”
With the foreign media picking up the story, conjecture grew till Tuesday when the party's media chairperson and general secretary Janardan Dwivedi trashed the stories. Officially commenting on the speculation, when asked whether the party wanted Mr. Gandhi to play a larger role, Mr. Dwivedi told journalists that there was “no suspense about it. He has a role. And in the natural course, his role will go on increasing. This is what Congressmen want. This, in their opinion, is natural.”
He, however, made it clear that for the present, Ms. Gandhi would lead the party, and that it was not possible to speculate on the timeframe within which Mr. Gandhi would be elevated. Indeed, to another question on Ms. Gandhi's “diminishing role,” his riposte was: “This is a very uncharitable question.”
Clearly, there are those in the party — and the government — who are fuelling the story about Mr. Gandhi replacing his mother as party president soon — or, at least, lightening her burden by becoming working president. But as party sources explained to The Hindu , the anxiety for change at the top springs more from among those who feel they have the most to benefit from the baton being passed on to the next generation, rather than from any firm decision on the issue as yet.
These sources also pointed out that it was unlikely that such a change would take place before the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, unless Ms. Gandhi became incapable of functioning at all. And they point out that since her return from the U.S., the Congress president has been holding meetings with party functionaries, ministers and chief ministers on a daily basis. With the party still uncertain about how it will fare in U.P., sources said, it does not wish to risk a change in leadership at this stage.
In any case, if and when Mr. Gandhi replaces Ms. Gandhi, an AICC session would have to be convened to appoint him party chief. But if he merely becomes working president, the president can make an announcement and later get it endorsed by the Congress Working Committee.
Of course, on one point, everyone in the party acknowledges that Mr. Gandhi has begun to be more visible in decision-making in the party, ever since his mother left for for her surgery and he was made part of a four-member holding team. That team, however, actually took no decisions — it was intended, in any case, for minor matters. Mr. Gandhi's primary focus remains the youth and students' wings of the party, even though he is being edged incrementally into a being part of the decision-making group in the party and government.
For instance, on the Anna Hazare issue as well as on the Lokpal Bill, he was consulted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his mother's absence. His speech in the recent monsoon session of Parliament suggesting that the proposed Lokpal be given constitutional status (whether the idea was suggested by his image builders or not is not clear) has provided the party's managers with an issue with which they can build his profile. Both Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid and MoS in the Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy have stressed that his speech reflected the party line on the proposed law.
On the other hand, Ms. Gandhi's speech — delivered for her by Tehri MP Vijay Bahuguna at Gauchar on Wednesday — has set the tone for the Congress on the Anna Hazare campaign and the Lokpal Bill. To Team Anna, her message was unambiguous — and unapologetic: “Corruption cannot end by pointing fingers at others and delivering speeches alone. Everyone should introspect. It cannot be eradicated if some persons think their anti-corruption crusade is better than others.”
For party colleagues, who have not known whether to go on the offensive or remain on the defensive on the Lokpal issue, Ms. Gandhi's speech says it all. That Mr. Gandhi is the heir apparent, who will eventually take over the reins of the party, is given. But for the moment, if party seniors are to believed, Ms. Gandhi is still in charge.
