New Delhi: By sticking to his decision to quit as the Congress chief, Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he intends to undertake a complete revamp and overhaul of the party organisation.
Speculation is rife in the party circles that Rahul is toying with the idea of overhauling the organisation from top to bottom, including the Congress Working Committee (CWC) - its highest decision making body - in a bid to bring about a churn in the grand old party.
The remarks made by the party's general secretary in-charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, that the Congress, given the enormity of challenges it is facing, needed a drastic overhaul, also pointed to imminent changes in the party’s organisational structure.
The AICC general secretaries, who were in-charge of states where the party fared poorly in the Lok Sabha elections despite having a strong support base, are likely to be shown the door. Dipak Babaria and Harish Rawat, party general secretaries in-charge of Madhya Pradesh and Assam respectively, have already submitted their resignation.
On Thursday, K C Venugopal held a closed-door discussion with the party’s senior most leaders.
Tough decisions are expected at the CWC meeting to be held next week to zero in on Rahul’s successor.
The all-important meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 10 as Rahul has to appear before courts in different states on July 6 and 9 in connection with a defamation case. Though he has stepped down as the party chief, Rahul can attend the CWC meeting as a former president.
Formally accepting his resignation will be the first item on the agenda. Thereafter, the process of appointing a new president will be undertaken. Preliminary discussions will take place on possible candidates proposed by the CWC members and a new president would be elected preferably by consensus. The choice of the CWC will, however, have to receive the consent of the AICC in six months’ time.
The Congress leadership, however, has chosen to remain tight-lipped about Rahul's successor. A clear picture will emerge only after the high-profile CWC meeting.
Party sources revealed that although Mallikarjun Kharge, Ashok Gehlot, Sushilkumar Shinde, Sachin Pilot, and Jyotiraditya Scindia are widely tipped as front-runners for the post, fresh names could also be considered. So far, Rahul has given no clue on who might succeed him.
Priyanka hails Rahul
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has lauded her brother Rahul Gandhi’s decision to resign as Congress president, holding himself responsible for the party’s Lok Sabha poll debacle.
“Few have the courage that you do, @rahulgandhi. Deepest respect for your decision,” she tweeted on Thursday soon after Rahul made his resignation letter public.
Priyanka, who is in favour of radical changes and a complete organisational overhaul, had earlier demanded stringent action against the leaders who were responsible for the party’s poll debacle.
