Congress clamours for Rahul

THE Congress conclave here may set the stage for a bigger political role for Rahul Gandhi. There is a growing clamour that the low-profile Amethi MP get a responsible organisational position.

Sources said the matter came up at Saturday’s extended CWC meeting, but there was no official confirmation — or denial. A decision is expected not at the plenary, but later.

But both GenNext MPs and veteran Congress leaders are unanimous in their chant for Rahul. “It is not a demand… it is a chorus,” said a young MP. The chorus is evident even as the party grapples with the Karnataka problem, as well as the issue of keeping alliances intact while reviving itself in states ruled by allies.

The first call came two months ago by Mumbai chief Gurudas Kamat. A day back, MP Jiten Prasad and other UP leaders made a similar demand. “All of us in UP want him to come to the CWC,” said CWC permanent invitee Noor Bano.

Similar demands will come the next two days by the 2,000-odd AICC and 8,000-odd PCC delegates, many of whom want Rahul to sit on the dais. Banners and hoardings here describe him as “the hope of the nation” for his “nai soch, nai rah, nai disha” (new thinking, new path, new direction).