New Delhi: The dissent letter demanding elections for the post of Congress president is a conspiracy against Rahul Gandhi and holding such an exercise now may split the party, senior leader Sanjay Nirupam tells senior journalist Amit Agnihotri in an exclusive interview.
Q- Why is the leadership issue being debated in the Congress now?
The leadership issue is being debated because after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls then party president Rahul Gandhi resigned. Rahulji had taken a stand that did not want to continue and he suggested that someone from outside the Gandhi family should lead the party. The exercise to find that person is going on. In the meanwhile Sonia Gandhi was asked to take over as an interim chief. Since then the debate over who should be the next Congress president has been going on.
Q-Some senior Congress leaders recently wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding a fulltime party president and internal elections. You have dubbed it a conspiracy. Why?
There is no problem over the issue. Any functioning political party requires a full time president at the helm of affairs. That is a good thing. But here I would like to clarify that the said letter from some senior leaders is part of a conspiracy to destabilize the Congress and the Gandhis. Such conspiracies against Rahul Gandhi have been hatched in the past as well in Delhi at the residences and offices of some party leaders. The dissent letter smacked of this conspiracy. As a party worker, it is my view that such an election should not be held now.
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Q- But why?
Because, I think such an election will create several factions, result in bitterness among party leaders and may lead to enmity which may split the Congress party. I fear such an election would result in power play and start a game of one-upmanship among the leaders who may want to demonstrate how much influence they wield in the organization. This is certainly not needed at a time when we all should be working together to strengthen the party.
Q- But is flagging internal democracy a bad idea?
There should be internal democracy and internal party polls in any democratic organization. But I want to ask the critics, how many other political parties have carried out such an exercise. There are no such systems in other parties who question us. I also want to ask how many of the Congress Working Committee members have won an election. They should rather strengthen the party as a strong opposition and not bring up issues that will divide the party and weaken it.
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Q- So, if there is a contest for the post of Congress president now, would it go against Rahul Gandhi?
See, if there is any such election I can give you its outcome in advance. If Rahulji contests, he will win hands down. Rahulji is the only choice among the party’s youth wings like the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India. You can go and conduct an opinion poll among the youth wing, you can even ask the party chief ministers and the party workers at large who they want to see as Congress president. At the same time, if someone just keeps insisting that such an exercise should be held now, I don’t think it is good for the party.
Q- That said, what is the biggest challenge the Congress faces today?
For the past 18 months a full time leader who will charge up the workers across the country is lacking. There are lots of committed workers in the Congress party but they are all scattered today. We need to energise them. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has become a very strong party in comparison to the Congress. We need to make the Congress stronger. Once Rahulji comes as party chief with full force, he should travel across the country to motivate the workers.
Q- How early can that happen?
The Congress Working Committee meeting on August 24 decided that an All India Congress Committee session will be held in around six months. In my view by March-April 2021 all issues related to leadership and election to key bodies will be sorted out and Rahul Gandhi will be the new party president.
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