New Delhi: Suggesting that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, party vice-chief, should “speak more” and put in action a timetable to enable the party to play the role of a “true Opposition” when the morale of the party cadre is “pretty low”, former finance minister P. Chidambaram on Friday hoped “someday” a “non-Gandhi” can become the party chief, but refused to predict when will that happen.
Mr Chidambaram also said the party’s reorganisation was needed for the larger task of being an “effective, strong and robust Opposition” to the government. He added Mrs Sonia Gandhi was “numero uno”, and the January 2013 decision in Jaipur to make Rahul vice-chief was “perhaps the correct decision”.
In a TV interview, the former minister steered clear of questions on the clamour in some sections for Priyanka Gandhi, but urged the party president and vice-president “to speak more... I would urge them to address more rallies, urge them to meet the media...” When asked about the doubts voiced on Mr Gandhi’s leadership, he said: “I agree that Congress (cadres’) morale is pretty low.
But I don’t agree that the morale cannot be lifted. Direction cannot be given...I am sure the Congress leadership has a timetable. I would urge again that timetable be shortened and we get on with the job of a reorganising the party and getting on with the job of being true opposition.”
To a question as to why the party was over-dependent on one family to lead it, the former Union minister said, “It so happens that he (Rahul Gandhi) belongs to that family but that does not mean other younger leaders cannot emerge. After all Sachin Pilot has emerged.”
Mr Chidambaram alleged that the government’s affidavit in the SC arguing that it cannot disclose the names was “clearly a U-turn”.
