New Delhi: Confusion prevails in Congress on who should succeed Rahul Gandhi as party president, though the party seniors have shortlisted either Ashok Gehlot (68) or Mallikarjun Kharge (76) to head the party. Gehlot is Rajasthan Chief Minister while Kharge from Karnataka was leader of Congress in the last Lok Sabha. A spin of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh (77), on Saturday for "another dynamic youth leader" to head Congress, however, threw a spanner into the seniors' plan. He did not say whom he wants to be the Congress President and yet his tweet once again brought to fore an infight among the old and the young.
Taken aback were party seniors, who were engaged in a series of informal meetings here since Rahul's statement on Wednesday to insist on his resignation. They were on Saturday trying to finalise a date of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) early next week to formally elect the new president when Amarinder's tweet surfaced. Why should Amarinder Singh pitch for a young leader when he is himself 77 and still clicking without any hiccups, a senior leader wondered.
In his tweet, Amarinder Singh said: “After unfortunate decision of @RahulGandhi to quit, hope to see another dynamic youth leader as @INCIndia president to galvanise party... Urge CWC to take note of young India's need for a young leader, aligned to aspirations of its large youth population and with grassroots connect." Rajasthan PCC President and deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot is the youngest at 41 among the probables from the younger generation while another name in circulation is that of Jyotiraditya Scindia, an AICC general secretary who lost the recent Lok Sabha election. Mukul Wasnik (59), who has been AICC general secretary for umpteen years has also pitched his name as a compromise candidate to end the controversy of old versus young.
