Rahul's call for 'fearless' people to join his brigade

Congress leader's invitation to those "fearless people" outside the party, is not only seen as an invitation to political leaders, but also political activists and prominent personalities such as former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and former World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu, who have been critical of the BJP government and its policies.

Hyderabad: In a significant development in the political arena, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he needs fearless people in the party and asked those in the party, who hesitate to speak against the government, to leave, hinting at a possible structural rejig to the grand old party, which is now considered a sinking ship.

"There are so many people who are fearless but outside the party, get them into the Congress fold. And then, there are some in the Congress who are afraid to speak against the government. Kick them out. Let them go join the RSS. We don't need them. We need fearless people. This is our ideology. This is my basic message," Gandhi told the Congress social media team in a virtual interactive session.

While Gandhi's message has led to speculations as to who those pro-BJP leaders within the party could be, it is widely considered as a jibe against his once confidantes Jyotoraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada, who defected to the BJP in the recent past. While Scindia jumped the ship causing a collapse in MP government in March last year, Prasada switched over to the BJP early last month ahead of the crucial UP Assembly elections. The other prominent Congress leaders who joined the saffron brigade are Hemant Biswa Sharma, Jagdambika Pal, Chaudhary Birender Singh and Narayan Rane.

Gandhi's invitation to those "fearless people" outside the party, is not only seen as an invitation to political leaders, but also political activists and prominent personalities such as former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and former World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu, who have been critical of the BJP government and its policies. His open message also comes in the backdrop of expert political strategist Prashant Kishor's meeting with the Gandhi's a few days ago.

With Friday's message to the young brigade in the social media team, Gandhi seems to have taken a leaf out of the BJP's agenda to tap into the potential of the social media in order to further the party's interests and reach out to the masses.

Ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in seven states, the Congress scion's "fearless people" remark may also been mulling over getting such people into an advisory committee, akin to what the party chief and his mother Sonia Gandhi had earlier constituted to guide her. The committee's primary role was to question the government and expose the loopholes in its policies.