A Fresh Hand

The Congress is poised to put Rahul Gandhi in the top post, perhaps even before New Year.

- Soni Mishra

When members of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the party, arrived for its meeting on the morning of November 7, the arrangements at the AICC headquarters were as per routine. Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s name card was placed at the centre of the dais, where senior leaders of the CWC were to be seated.

However, party vice president Rahul Gandhi arrived with the news that Sonia would not be able to attend the meeting as she was indisposed. The seating arrangement was immediately altered, the chair meant for the Congress president was removed and the name tag taken off the table. Rahul adjusted his chair to narrow the gap with his neighbours—former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior leader A.K. Antony—and ended up occupying centre stage.

A lot of symbolism was involved in this rearrangement of furniture, as the events that unfolded in the meeting reaffirmed. Rahul opened the meeting with his speech, something that Sonia does as chair of the CWC. And, there was another first. “In the working committee meeting, members unanimously expressed their strong sentiment that respecting the wishes of crores of Congress workers and our well wishers, Rahul Gandhiji must take over the presidentship of the Congress party,” Antony said.

In an effort to distinguish this from demands that have been made by Congress leaders at regular intervals, Antony said, “Speculation was there. However, it is for the first time that the entire CWC has unanimously expressed the strong view.”

This, Antony said, would be the CWC’s recommendation to the Congress president, and it would be for her to follow up. “We hope that it will get proper treatment,” he said, indicating that Rahul’s promotion is a mere formality.