Do Cong leaders also see Rahul as a ‘Pappu’? : Digvijaya Singh’s mention
It can’t get any tougher for Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. After leading his party to a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, each day brings a new unflattering quote from a Congress leader.
No one called him a “clown” this time around, but Rahul’s close aide and supposed mentor Digvijaya Singh didn’t exactly do his protege any favours by telling a news channel: “By temperament, woh sattadhaari vyakti nahin hain. By temperament, woh aisa vyakti hai jo anyaay ke khilaph ladna chaahta hai (He is not a ruler by temperament. By temperament he is a person, who wants to fight injustice.
Singh was quick to clarify that he was referring to Rahul’s lack of interest in power and not his lack of leadership, saying, “I said he is always fighting against injustice and, therefore, he is not for power. He fights injustice. That is the difference between us and him.” But all this word-splitting did little to change the headlines.Congressmen ought to be revamping the party and building an alternate image for their leader, Congress leaders themselves seem to be reinforcing the Pappu persona by insisting that Rahul does not want to rule. Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh has redrawn the caricature by claiming that Rahul by temperament is not a ruler….
So, logically, if Rahul is a fighter against injustice, he ought to be leading his political outfit from the front. Power is the only logic of politics and if the biggest leader of the prime Opposition party is not temperamentally a ruler, he obviously cannot lead the fight against injustice in politics. Sure, he can lead a NGO and fight injustice, but political change is brought about by people who wield power.
Even this passion for fighting injustice hasn’t impressed Youth Congress and NSUI leaders angry at the new internal election format introduced by Rahul.
At a recent meeting held to discuss the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, youth leaders slammed the top leadership saying they were pushed forward when it comes to taking to streets and braving canes during agitations, but it was only the near and dear ones of the senior leaders who get election tickets.
“Perhaps now Rahul Gandhi would start recognising local leaders and might find time to meet them, which was not the case prior to disastrous LS polls,” a senior Youth