As Rahul rises, team set to take key roles
As the role of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi “expands”, a host of Congress leaders — Mr Digvijay Singh, Mr Milind Deora, Mr Jairam Ramesh, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, Mr Kanishka Singh and Ms Meenakshi Natrajan — could play key roles either in the organisation or in government in the coming days. Such is the talk within the party.
The Congress party has already made it clear that Mr Rahul Gandhi’s role is expanding and a decision on his formal elevation will be taken by party chief Sonia Gandhi. Mr Digvijay Singh’s frontal attack on the saffron hardliners, especially the Sangh Parivar, and his campaign against Team Anna, have sent positive signals to the political constituency of the Congress, particularly the minorities. Mr Digvijay Singh is also seen as the tallest Thakur leader after Chandra Shekhar, V.P. Singh, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Singh.
Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, a traditional loyalist, has started rebuilding the party in western Maharashtra, dominated by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. If insiders are to be believed, the chief minister is trying to exploit dissent in the NCP through its sitting Lok Sabha member from Satara, Mr Udayanraje Bhonsle, Independent MP from Kolhapur Sadashivrao Mandlik, and Raju, alias Devappa Anna Shetti, of the Swabhimani Paksha and sitting Lok Sabha member from Hatkanangle.
Mr Chavan has been consistent in pleading the line of “ekla chalo” in Maharashtra in the larger interest of the party. Mr Rahul Gandhi, insiders said, is also not keen on running a coalition at the Centre for long. The Congress’ objective is to form a government on its own. Union minister Milind Deora has been closely working with Mr Gandhi for the last six to seven years and, naturally, will play a bigger role after Mr Gandhi’s elevation. Ms Meenakshi Natrajan, sitting Lok Sabha member from Mandsour in Madhya Pradesh and AICC secretary, is a product of the Youth Congress. Her simplicity and commitment to the organisation would be an asset to Team Rahul, while Mr Kanishka Singh has been known as Mr Gandhi’s “Man Friday”.
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