‘Non-Gandhi’ may lead Congress someday: P Chidambaram

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 that would 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 Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, Mr Chidambaram 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.”

Asked can a non-Gandhi become the Congress President, Mr Chidambaram said, “I think so. Someday yes”, but was quick to add, “I do not know” when asked about the timeline for such an eventuality. “I am too old to aspire for anything now,” he, at the same time, said.    

His remarks have come at a time when the process of organisational elections has been set in motion, which will culminate in the election of the new party chief by July end next year. Sonia Gandhi is the longest serving party chief being at the helm since March 1998.

Read: Gandhis should speak more, says P Chidambaram

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 dismissed suggestions that the party leadership was not talking even to party workers. “That is not right. I do see them at regular intervals. They do talk to me and I assume that there are others. I would urge them to talk to the public,” he said when asked about a perception that Congress has become a rudderless ship as Sonia and Rahul are seen or heard very rarely.

Asked whether he was disappointed by the fact that Sonia has ceded the space and left it to her son, Mr Chidambaram said, “The question must be put to her. But I think the creation of the post of vice-president and installing Rahul Gandhi to that post was a deliberate strategy to hand over the baton to next generation of leadership.”

The Congress leader also dismissed finance minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks that disclosure of the names of black money account holders can embarrass Congress amid speculation that the list could include a former UPA minister. “These are individual transgressions, individual violations of law. Individual should be embarrassed. Why should the party be embarrassed. I do not but if there is the name of any minister, it will embarrass him. Why should it embarrass the party. He is not keeping the account of the party. The party did not authorise him to keep that account,” he said.

He said that the government’s affidavit in the SC that it cannot disclose the names was “clearly a U-turn” of BJP’s earlier position on black money.