New Delhi [India], August 22 (ANI): The election for the post of president has now become a challenge for the Congress with the reluctance of party leader Rahul Gandhi to contest the polls. The Congress party has completed the internal election process till August 20. The party had announced that the election for the post of president will be held between August 21 and September 20 but despite several attempts, Rahul Gandhi has not cleared the stance till now.
According to sources, the Central Election Authority has made full preparations to complete the election process on time. The chairman of the authority is waiting for a meeting of the Congress Working Committee which will announce the election dates for the post of chairman and then the authority will notify the same. Sources said the process seems to remain stuck since Rahul is not willing to contest the election for the post of Congress president, although all the efforts to convince him are still going on.
In fact, Rahul is adamant on giving the post of president to a non-Gandhi and that is why he is preventing sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from filing a nomination, sources claimed. At the same time, Sonia Gandhi does not want to hold the post due to health reasons and Rahul wants a non-Gandhi should hold the post in place of Sonia. Congress tried to persuade Rahul and considers Priyanka as the second option. If not, Sonia Gandhi will be asked to stay till 2024 for the sake of party unity, said sources.
If the logjam continues, there may be an attempt to agree on one of the names of the leaders like Ashok Gehlot, Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal, Kumari Shailaja and Mukul Wasnik. The next few days are going to be very important for the Gandhi family keeping the time frame for Congress president election in mind which has technically started on Sunday itself.
Meanwhile, Congress plans to embark on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari on September 7 under the leadership of party leader Rahul Gandhi and the 148-day march will culminate in Kashmir. The five-month yatra is scheduled to cover a distance of 3,500 kilometre and more than 12 states. The padyatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.
The yatra will include padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Congress suffered a debacle in the assembly polls held earlier this year and the yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles.
Meanwhile, sources said Rahul Gandhi will meet civil society people and organizations in Delhi on August 22 to listen to their issues and share their thoughts. Gandhi will also discuss his Bharat Jodo Yatra and its purpose with people from civil society. Ahead of his Bharat Jodo Yatra starting from Kanyakumari on September 7, Rahul Gandhi will work with civil society to chalk out a strategy for the 2024 general elections. Gandhi is going to meet organizations and individuals working for different sections of society before his Bharat Jodo Yatra. (ANI)
Telangana: Priyanka should campaign across India to bring Congress to power in 2024: VH Rao
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 22 (ANI): Congress leader V Hanumanth Rao slammed the Modi government at the Centre over the rising prices of daily commodities. He further said that the Modi government did a good work by exhorting people to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav but the same government committed a mistake by removing the pictures of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru from a series of events.
The Congress leader said, “Jawaharlal Nehru spent 15 years in jail (more than Savarkar) and he was the first Prime Minister of the country. There is a history of Gandhi family. Both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the betterment and integration of the country.”
On Priyanka Gandhi, he said that she should campaign across the country to amp up the morale of Congress leaders and workers and she should not stick to only Uttar Pradesh. If Rahul Gandhi is not available, she should also visit South India to strengthen the party at the ground level. He further added that if Priyanka Gandhi visits South India, a Congress government will be formed here. He also said that if she contests from Medak parliamentary constituency like her grandmother, she will definitely win and Congress will taste power in 2024.
Attacking the BJP-led Centre, he said this government has ruined the Indian economy, put GST on daily commodities and sold public properties much to the suffering of common people. (ANI)
