While Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s eventual coronation as party chief  is expected to be a smooth affair, his critics are continuing with their efforts to delay  the inevitable.

Worried that  a take-over by Team Rahul will end up marginalising them,  Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s advisers and other senior leaders believe  that the Nehru-Gandhi scion’s elevation should be put off till the year-end when the election of party president is to be conducted.

Ideally, the party’s Old Guard would like Sonia Gandhi to continue as president for another term but since this appears unlikely, they are advocating that  Rahul Gandhi’s succession should be undertaken through the election route.

“Since Rahul Gandhi is a strong votary of inner party democracy and wants to introduce internal elections, it is only appropriate that he should take over as Congress president through an election,” remarked a senior party leader.

Bid to end confusion

On the other hand, there is a section in the Congress which wants Rahul Gandhi to take over the party reins at the earliest, preferably at the upcoming meeting of the All-India Congress Committee in April, to put an end to the lingering confusion over the leadership issue. They would like him to take charge so that he has a free hand in bringing about necessary changes in the party organisation. It is being speculated that Rahul Gandhi had  taken time off out of sheer frustration because the Old Guard was not allowing him to revamp the party as per his plans.

“It would be better if Rahul Gandhi takes over at the earliest….he can put his team in place, restructure the party and conduct the coming organisational elections according to his plans,” said a former Congress minister.

Rahul Gandhi’s sudden decision to proceed on a sabbatical during a crucial Parliament session has strengthened the voices which want him to head the party at the earliest.

It has also forced the party to take a quick view on Rahul Gandhi’s takeover as the controversy over his “leave of absence” has further demoralised the rank and file. It has set the stage for his elevation at the April session. The Congress can hardly afford the present state of  uncertainty to linger when it should be putting its house in order after its repeated electoral defeats over the past year.

Quelling confusion

However, one thing is very clear.  Despite the doubts being expressed about his leadership capabilities and the efforts to delay his anointment, Rahul Gandhi’s elevation will go off without a hitch.

There is consensus in the party that the dissenting voices will die down the day Rahul Gandhi is named Congress president. The reality is that there is nobody to challenge the party’s First Family. Despite Rahul Gandhi’s inability to ensure a single election victory in recent months, Congress cadres remain dependent on the Nehru-Gandhi family for their political survival.

“The truth is that all those who are opposing Rahul Gandhi’s  elevation today, will be the first to line up in his support  when he takes over as party chief,” said a senior Congress leader.

While Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh has reiterated that Rahul Gandhi should take charge as party president, former Union minister Kamal Nath has also come out publicly to press for the Congress vice-president’s elevation while maintaining that Sonia Gandhi should play the role of a mentor.

Singh was candid enough to point out that certain “vested interests” in the party were resisting the changes being proposed by Rahul Gandhi in the Congress organisation.

Kamal Nath speaks out

Kamal Nath was equally forthright when he pointed out that the present situation had created problems for party members who were “ falling  between two stools”. Decisions, he stated, were held up as Rahul Gandhi would refer leaders to Sonia Gandhi and she would ask them to speak to the vice-president.

Singh and Kamal Nath’s remarks are being widely interpreted as a “calling attention motion” by these leaders who would not like to be overlooked by   Rahul Gandhi when he revamps the party set-up. The chorus for “Rahul for Congress president” can be expected to pick up in the coming days given the party’s sycophantic culture.

Since Rahul Gandhi’s promotion is imminent, the focus has shifted to the changes which Rahul Gandhi wants to introduce when he takes over and whether he  will alter his style of functioning, stop his periodic disappearing acts, shed his dependence on non-political advisors  and become more accessible to party workers.

Speculation has already begun about the composition of Team Rahul: who will make the grade and who will out. “There will be a complete overhaul…all those above 70 years will find themselves out, “ said a Congress leader known for his proximity to Rahul Gandhi. The seniors, on the other hand, are hoping they will not be discarded on the ground that they have pockets of influence in the party’s state units.

Despite the uncertainty Rahul Gandhi’s leadership qualities and the future party set-up, the overwhelming sentiment in the Congress today is that he should be given a chance to prove himself. “ The diarchy in the party cannot continue .. Rahul Gandhi should take over  so that he can be held accountable for his actions,” said a former Congress minister.