The Gandhi scion's disinclination to lead from the front in Parliament didn't come as a surprise as some other names — including nine-time MP from Chhindwara Kamal Nath and Veerappa Moily — had already been floated as possible choices for the post. In reaction to this, veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had said that if Rahul wanted to lead the Congress, he should become leader of the party in the Lok Sabha.
As Congress is the largest opposition party in the House, its leader would be in line for the post of leader of opposition. If there is any uncertainty, it's because Congress has less than 10% of the total strength of the House, which some claim is the required strength for qualifying for the post.
Kharge has spent the major part of his career in Karnataka and is little known in Delhi, though he became UPA-2's railway minister last year. Nor is he known for his articulation, a quality that's regarded by party men as a prerequisite to take on a communicator like Modi. Besides, Kharge doesn't have the stature to come close to Modi.
But the fact that he's a dalit can be conveniently used to counter the claims of other Congress leaders for the post. While acknowledging that Kharge didn't have any great political ambition and was, therefore, "safe" (like Manmohan Singh was as PM), party MPs said Kharge's choice signaled that Congress didn't have the stomach for a fight against BJP — at least, not yet.
Kharge profusely thanked Sonia Gandhi for his nomination and said he would do his "utmost to measure up to the expectations of the party president."
While a section was eager that the party vice-president stepped up to the plate to bolster his leadership credentials that have taken a knock in the Lok Sabha decimation of the Congress, the old guard felt that Sonia Gandhi assuming the mantle would keep the flock together in these trying times.
The decision on Kharge kept the focus firmly on Rahul. Many within continued to feel that Rahul was evading responsibility and maintaining the perception of being a reluctant politician rather than appearing eager to fight back after the debacle.
AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala brushed aside criticism of the choice by heaping praise on Kharge. "He has never lost an election, he is the most senior dalit leader in the country and he has an impeccable organizational and administrative experience both at the Central and state level," he said.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/S00KVt
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment