Who Will Be The Chosen One?

On June 17, while the newly elected members of the 17th Lok Sabha were being administered the oath of office, MP and Republican Party of India chief Ramdas Athawale asked where Congress president Rahul Gandhi was. The mocking question caused much hilarity all round, not counting the Congress MPs present in the house in their vanishingly small numbers.

- Kaushik Deka

Rahul did show up later in the day—as the Congress MPs had said he would—back from a trip to London. They may even have seen a flicker of hope that he’ll put them out of their misery and embarrassment and assume charge of the party. Rahul has not shown any signs so far that he might relent. Giving senior leaders a month to find a new president, he had apparently said: “I cannot work with people who couldn’t cooperate with me when it was most needed. If there has to be a shake-up in the party, it must start with me.” For those who want Rahul back in, what complicates the plot, says a senior party leader who enjoys the confidence of the Gandhis but prefers anonymity, is that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi won’t work on him to change his mind. And Priyanka Gandhi has apparently tried but failed.