Chidambaram on non-Gandhi Congress chief: "I think so. Someday yes"

He also says the reorganisation of the party was due.

October 24, 2014 06:40 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:28 pm IST - New Delhi

Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram. File photo

Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram. File photo

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday said that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should “speak more” and put in action a timetable that would enable the party to play the role of “true opposition” at a time when the morale of party cadres is “pretty low”.

He also said that the reorganisation of the party was due for the larger task of being an “effective, strong and robust opposition” to the government.

Mr. Chidambaram said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was “numero uno” in the organisation and that the decision in Jaipur in January 2013 to make Rahul Gandhi vice-president was “perhaps the correct decision”.

Steering clear of questions about clamour within a section of the party for Priyanka Gandhi, he urged the Congress president and the vice-president “to speak more. I would urge them to address more rallies, urge them to meet the media...”

“I agree that Congress (cadres’) morale is pretty low. But I don’t agree that the morale cannot be lifted. Direction cannot be given...I am sure the Congress leadership has a timetable.

“I would urge again that timetable be shortened and we get on with the job of a reorganising the party and getting on with the job of being true opposition,” he told NDTV , replying to a question about doubts being expressed about Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.

Asked can a non-Gandhi become the Congress president, he said, “I think so. Someday yes”, but was quick to add, “I do not know” when asked about the timeline for such an eventuality.

“I am too old to aspire for anything now,” he, at the same time, said.

His remarks have come at a time when the process of organisational elections has been set in motion, which will culminate into the election of the new party Chief by July end next year. Sonia Gandhi is the longest serving party chief being at the helm since March 1998.

To a question as to why the party was over-dependent on one family to lead it, he said, “It so happens that he (Rahul Gandhi) belongs to that family but that does not mean other younger leaders cannot emerge. After all Sachin Pilot has emerged.”

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.