Rahul is de facto Cong chief, should take over formally: Jairam Ramesh

NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should make the party battle-ready without waiting for anti-incumbency to build up against Prime Minister Narendra

NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should make the party battle-ready without waiting for anti-incumbency to build up against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior leader Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday.

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Ramesh said the Congress vice-president had “a lot of ideas on organisational restructuring and I hope he gets into position very soon. He is de facto, but he should become de jure”. Ramesh also said it was high time the Congress changed in keeping with a changing India as “our communication strategy is not very effective” and “we need an aggressive outreach” following successive poll debacles.

“Challenges are very heavy but there is no room for despondency. Those who are writing off the Congress party are writing its premature obituary,” the former minister told PTI, an apparent reference to Modi’s repeated calls for a “Congress-mukt Bharat (Congress-free India) “.

Making a strong pitch for Rahul’s leadership, Ramesh said “uncertainty does not help”. He said the challenges facing the Congress were similar to those that confronted Sonia Gandhi when she took over as the party chief in March 1998.

The Congress presidentship had its institutional importance and Rahul should take charge “as soon as possible”, Ramesh said.