Will he, won?t he?

Speculation has again begun on Rahul's induction into the organisation during the plenary session, writes Pankaj Vohra.

With the suspense over the reconstitution of the All India Congress Committee and some of its key bodies over, speculation has once again begun on Rahul Gandhi’s induction into the organisation during the plenary session in Hyderabad later this month. In fact, his omission was the most conspicuous feature of the announcement, since virtually all Congressmen expected him to figure in the list sooner or later. Rahul has been part of active electoral politics for a year and eight months and his entry is likely to give a further boost to the party, given his appeal among the younger generation.

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His induction will also signal that the next generation in the Congress, unlike in the BJP, CPI(M) and other parties, will actually be from among people who are in their 30s and early 40s and not in the 50s. In the context of electoral politics, the move will be significant especially because the overwhelming majority of our voters are below the age group of 35 years and may relate well to a younger leader. If Sonia Gandhi had helped the Congress adjust to coalition politics and had led the party to victory both at the Centre and in 16 states, Rahul Gandhi will be seen as the person who will restore the Congress to the number one position in the political hierarchy of this country.

Two viewpoints have emerged regarding Rahul’s future plans. One is that he will join the organisation since that is the way all the Nehru-Gandhis before him made their presence felt in national politics before moving on to join the government. Jawaharlal Nehru served in the party and even Indira Gandhi headed it before joining the government. Subsequently, the late Sanjay Gandhi began his political career by joining the National Council of the Youth Congress and even Rajiv Gandhi was a part of the organisation before he took over as prime minister in the most unfortunate circumstances following his mother’s brutal assassination.

Sonia Gandhi made her grand entry into politics from the organisation and shortly thereafter, became the party’s president. She has continued to serve the party despite the unanimous decision of the Congress and its coalition partners to make her prime minister in the wake of the NDA’s electoral defeat. Her decision to renounce the prime ministership is unparalleled.

However, a section within the Congress also wants Rahul to join the government instead of the organisation. Their view is that the splendid opportunity to work with Manmohan Singh will give him rich experience of administration. While there may be strength in the argument, some of those making the suggestion may not want Rahul to join the AICC since this may make their own position vulnerable. If he joins the party, it is natural that after Sonia Gandhi, he will be the most powerful person.

But then, Rahul seems to know what he should be doing. By maintaining a low profile and speaking on issues like farmers’ plight, he has displayed his concern for the aam aadmi. He has kept himself away from the rumble-tumble of power politics and has not commented on the shortfalls of the government or on contentious issues. A sentence from him is seen as the ultimate statement regarding any issue, given his status. Therefore, he comments only after giving an issue due thought.

Coming back to the AICC reconstitution, a notable feature is also the omission of the chief ministers from the list of working committee members. The decision not to have the CMs seems to be a reversal of the Congress president’s earlier decision. One wonders why this was done since the presence of CMs in the deliberations of the working committee lends additional political weight to the decisions as they have to play an important role during the implementation stage. If not all 16, then at least some of the CMs from politically important states like Punjab, J&K, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh should have been there. It is true that what the Congress president or working committee decides is binding but decisions with CMs, as a party, would have additional force.

Another conspicuous feature of the new working committee is that there are six members from Karnataka alone. One wonders why this has been done since there is no dearth of talent from other states. And why should Karnataka, which, of course, is a politically important state, be seen as first among equals? Even among general secretaries or those who will be in charge of states, there are four from Karnataka. Surely, elections are not being held in the state but in five other states.

One also wonders why there are no Muslim general secretaries, given that minorities are an important component of the Congress support base. The new body also gives an impression, rightly or wrongly, that Madhav Sinh Solanki, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Salman Khurshid and Natwar Singh do not fit into the present scheme of things in the party. The obvious Volckerisation of Natwar is complete with Ashok Gehlot, B.K. Hari Prasad and Mukul Wasnik being given important responsibilities.

Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary, Ahmed Patel, also needs to be congratulated on giving up Kerala on the eve of elections there, since he has to discharge a number of other important responsibilities. But overall, the AICC reconstitution has been well received, even though speculation regarding Rahul Gandhi will continue. Between us.