Congress revamp: Sonia gives quietus to dissent

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 12

Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s Friday act of restructuring the party has given a quietus to the recent dissent in her ranks, besides delivering a snub to the ginger group that sought election to all party posts.

Clearing way for Rahul

• Most of the new appointees owe allegiance to Rahul Gandhi
• The restructuring lays the ground for his return, as and when he chooses
• Though three of the 23 leaders who wrote to Sonia on party overhaul have been accommodated in the revamp, their key demands have not been met

Time to assess public mood

The changes bear the Sonia Gandhi imprint and signal a balance of experience, loyalty and youthful energy. The litmus test for the Congress, however, is to accurately assess the public mood and catch the people’s imagination through transformative leadership. - Ashwani Kumar, Former Law Minister

The restructuring lays the ground for the return of former party president Rahul Gandhi, as and when he chooses, with the majority of new appointees owning allegiance to him.

Though three of the 23 leaders who recently wrote to Sonia on party overhaul have been accommodated in the revamp, their key demands have not been met.

Dissenters had sought election to the powerful Congress Working Committee (CWC), but Sonia chose to go by the past convention of nominations for each of the 57 members of the reconstituted panel, which has 22 regular and 26 permanent members and nine special invitees. Second, the ginger group wanted the defunct Congress Parliamentary Board reconstituted, but it has not happened. Sonia has instead formed a special six-member committee for assistance till the next AICC session. Mukul Wasnik, one of the letter signatories, has been named in the panel, which is otherwise dominated by Sonia loyalists Ahmed Patel, AK Antony, Ambika Soni, Randeep Surjewala and KC Venugopal. The return of former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal to key roles is being seen as a signal to Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari, who has always coveted the Chandigarh LS nomination and has been Bansal’s rival in the Chandigarh politics.

In a fine balancing act, Sonia has also ensured a fair mix of veterans and youngsters across party structures, so that the generational shift happens under the watch of experienced hands. Younger leaders have been preferred for strenuous party positions, including those of general secretaries and in charges where the expectation is to connect with the masses and the rank and file. The regular CWC continues to be dominated by veterans.