Taking a leaf out of BJP’s book, party promises not to dump senior leaders .
New Delhi : A neighbour’s plight can always offer a corrective insight. So, as the ruling BJP battles with the discontent of the elders, the Congress has moved ahead to reassure them ahead of the proposed revamp of the party organisation. Almost summarily dismissing a suggestion from several leaders that those above the age of 60 be dropped from the party”s organisational set-up under the youthful vice-president Rahul Gandhi, it has now been indicated by the leadership that ”everyone”s” ability and talent would be put to good use.
This position was long attributed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi who has been always against disruptive changes, but now it also has her son Rahul”s endorsement. Rahul”s personal reassurance to the elders is seen in contrast with BJP president Amit Shah”s public suggestion to party leaders that they should follow the example set by the late Nanaji Deshmukh who had voluntarily stepped out of politics at the age of 60, and devoted himself to social work. But Nanaji was an exception, and indeed, if this logic is applied strictly it would also cover Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is past 60, and not just the veterans like L K Advani and Co who have been a source of discomfort for Shah and Modi after the Bihar elections.
But in the context of organisational changes in the Congress, it appears that the changed set-up would be a blend of the old and the young. Given the fact that it has taken more than 18 months after the huge setback in the Lok Sabha polls, for the Congress leadership to make up its mind the new order would also be aimed at a rather longer term perspective. The changes are in fact long overdue, and those who have been consulted about it in the past, have actually become ”too tired” at the delay to the point of losing interest. “ Let us see what comes out of this process,” quipped a senior general secretary when asked to discuss the contours of the change.
Given this huge delay, the changes would be an endorsement of Rahul”s leadership skills at the organisational level only if they manage to instill a sense of enthusiasm among the party workers. “ We know that Modi”s graph is going down. But we capitalised on it in Bihar only because of our alliance with Nitish and Lalu, we still remain worried about the rest of the country,” the general secretary added.
