Seniors responsible for decline in Cong magazine quality: Young leaders

All India Congress Committee secretaries said the members of the editorial board – Khurshid and Ramesh – do not contribute in any way to raising the standards of the monthly magazine.

Young Congress office bearers have blamed senior leaders Salman Khurshid and Jairam Ramesh for the “decline in quality” and subscription of the party’s mouthpiece Sandesh.

Young Congress office bearers have blamed senior leaders Salman Khurshid and Jairam Ramesh for the “decline in quality” and subscription of the party’s mouthpiece Sandesh. (HT photo)

At a meeting with party treasurer Motilal Vora on Monday evening, All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries said the members of the editorial board – Khurshid and Ramesh – do not contribute in any way to raising the standards of the monthly magazine. They, however, spared its editor Girija Vyas.

“They don’t spend any time on the magazine. As a result of which, there is a decline in its quality and numbers,” an AICC secretary said and stressed the need for improving its content.

Congress sources said the circulation of the party magazine – in English and Hindi and priced at Rs 10 – has gone down from 100,000 to 25,000 in the recent months.

Vora had called the meeting to seek suggestions on enhancing the subscription of Sandesh.

Deviating from the agenda, AICC secretary Deepak Babaria sought to know the timing of the elevation of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Babaria, who hails from Gujarat and is considered close to the Congress V-P, asked when Rahul is going to take over the reins of the party.

The delay in Rahul’s elevation as the Congress president is causing anxiety among the young leaders who feel that it is high time that a change of guard takes place in the grand old party.

Many AICC secretaries are now planning to launch a signature campaign among the 1,000-odd AICC members to push for Rahul’s immediate take-over.

“The Congress Working Committee was supposed to do it but it didn’t. The only other forum is AICC and we will approach all its members to ensure that Rahulji’s elevation takes place as soon as possible,” an AICC secretary, who refused to be named, said.