JOIN USWith still no sign of Rahul Gandhi ending his political sabbatical, the Congress has decided to postpone the organisational elections by two months.
As per the earlier schedule, the organisational elections should have been completed by September this year. But Rahul’s sudden decision to go on “leave of absence” last month has put a question mark on the revival plans of the Congress which is reeling under successive electoral losses and a demoralised rank and file.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, at the instance of her son and vice president Rahul, had written to all the state units of the party to make suggestions on ways to revive the party. The deadline for the state unit chiefs to send in their replies was February 28. It is learnt that not more than half a dozen party units have responded to the letter.
An excuse for the delayed response was non-existence of Pradesh Congress Committee is many states.
The party has since embarked on the exercise of constituting the committees in the states where it had been dissolved after the Lok Sabha debacle. A meeting of the Congress Working Committee was expected to be called this month which was to be followed by an AICC meeting. However, Rahul’s “leave of absence” for a “few weeks” has sent the schedule haywire.
“We are awaiting Rahul’s return to take a decision on these key issues,” a senior Congress leader said. Meanwhile, posters were put up in parts of Uttar Pradesh, including in Rahul’s Amethi Parliamentary constituency, declaring him missing. The posters put up by a little known outfit also declared a reward of Rs 10,000 for any information that could help locate Rahul, who has been on a sabbatical since mid-February.
“He will be back in the proximate future. There is no need to keep repeating this question,” AICC spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters when asked about Rahul’s whereabouts.