Cong men want Rahul elevated as chief

The Congress on Monday projected Rahul Gandhi as the architect of the victory of the Grand Alliance in Bihar and wanted him to become the party president.

“There is a feeling among Congress workers that Rahul Gandhi should take over as party president,” AICC General Secretary C P Joshi said at the AICC briefing here.

Joshi credited Rahul’s thinking and farsightedness in formalising the Grand Alliance that effectively stopped the Narendra Modi juggernaut in Bihar.

“It was Rahul who insisted on clarity on the leadership issue and supported projecting Nitish Kumar as the face of the Grand Alliance,” the senior Congress leader said.

However, JD(U) leaders contested the Congress claims contending that Kumar had already laid the foundation of the alliance in the after Lok Sabha elections last year.

They recalled that Kumar had approached RJD chief Lalu Prasad with a proposal to join hands to take on Narendra Modi. JD-U- leaders said the RJD chief had agreed to the proposal after initial hesitation.

Meanwhile, the Congress said Rahul came out as an effective campaigner as party candidates won eight seats out the the 12 where he had held rallies.

At the same time, the BJP lost 20 out of the 31 seats where Prime Minister Narendra Modi held election rallies.

The Congress has maintained that the decision to pass on the leadership to Rahul Gandhi is a decision to be taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

There is speculation in the Congress circles of a quick coronation of Rahul this month itself at a meeting of the AICC.

A section of Congress leaders have been arguing that the Bihar victory was mainly because of the charisma of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and the good governance provided by Nitish Kumar.

This section also fears that post-Bihar, Nitish Kumar may emerge as a rallying point for non-BJP parties and force the Congress to play second fiddle at the national level.