Reports state that former AICC president Rahul Gandhi wants those who are 70 years and above to retire
Bengaluru: In what is being seen as a ploy to teach dissenters a lesson, former AICC president Rahul Gandhi has suggested that those more than 70 years of age be retired from party positions.
However, it is not known what fate his mother Sonia Gandhi would meet, who is 73 years old.
The move is being as a tool to plant more of his supporters in prominent positions.
Some of the seniors who may have to face the axe if this proposal is implemented are: Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Digvijay Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, and Captain Amrinder Singh. They will not be able to fight elections again. Former chief ministers, including Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kamal Nath, and others, will have to leave behind their dream of acquiring the office in the future.
Reports add that during the online meeting, Rahul Gandhi is supposed to have informed members with an inclination to support him that he doesn’t want those who are 70 and above to be given tickets for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections.
However, it is to be noted that any such move has to be ratified by the party president. And it is unlikely that his mother will countenance it, understanding fully well that it will cost the party dearly.
Reports also state that Rahul’s camp was of the view that KC Venugopal should have been made the interim president.
Infighting in Congress has hit the nadir. Kapil Sibal, another senior leader, put out a tweet in which he lamented the fact that Rahul Gandhi had doubted their loyalty by alleging that they had colluded with the Congress. Though he deleted his tweet, he putout another the next day, where he further lamented how his party was targeting its own members rather than attacking the BJP.
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