Congress' old guard unlikely to cede space for youth

As Congress grapples with the leadership question, the famed old guard of the party appears to be in no mood to cede space for the young leaders and have sent unambiguous signals that they are digging in their heels.

The party’s defeat in the Delhi assembly elections sparked off yet another debate within the Congress about a complete overhaul in the leadership with a section demanding organisational elections to settle the leadership issue.

A multitude of voices have spoken on the leadership question – Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Jairam Ramesh, Sandeep Dikshit, Sanjay Nirupam, M Veerappa Moily – each calling for a revival of the party and suggesting a list of measures to do so.

There have also been calls for giving the party a younger leadership profile – suggestions that have met with stiff resistance from the well-entrenched veterans.

A senior Congress leader argued that leaders such as Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot, Amarinder Singh who were leading their respective states cannot be construed as old and wished away.

Another veteran virtually dared the younger leaders to step up to the challenge and demonstrate their skills in steering the party through difficult times.

“It is not like the BJP that you sent us to some ‘margdarshak mandal’. Just imagine what will be the condition of the party if all the seniors take a back seat for say two months,” the leader said.

Congress has maintained that there was no leadership crisis within the party.

Leaders admit that they will have to address the issue of Sonia Gandhi being the interim president, particularly when she has clearly indicated that she was not interested in the post for the long haul.

However, a section within the party views the murmurs over the leadership issue as signs of a lively debate and a sign that the party was alive and kicking.