New Delhi: One of the promises made by Rahul Gandhi when he ascended the throne of Congress presidency was that he would give preference to youngsters. Several prominent politicians cutting across party lines hailed the move as ‘ingenious’. 

But few years down the line, it is all back to square one! The Congress president doesn’t believe in the younger generation and it is so palpable with his move. Consider this: The Lok Sabha elections are to be held in just more than a month. And now, the Congress president, aided and advised by his coterie of trustworthy brains, has decided to ask his party veterans to contest the Lok Sabha polls. 

However much Rahul and his cronies might scream at the top of their voices that the Modi wave has plummeted, they certainly can’t gainsay the fact that the Congress is certainly rattled, says BJP. Take for instance, the Congress asking Manmohan Singh to contest. In fact, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh reportedly called up the veteran leader and pleaded with him to contest from Amritsar, saying that he would supervise all the campaigning-related activities. But the former PM is said to have reportedly yet sternly turned down the offer. Next in line are Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad, BK Hariprasad and Oommen Chandy. 

Some of these are Rajya Sabha members. Asking them to contest Lok Sabha may make many raise their eyebrows in wonder, but the desperation is aptly clear in the Congress camp. The instruction to contest doesn’t stop with Rajya Sabha members. Even Pradesh committee presidents or PCCs have been asked to save the Congress from the Modi slaughter. 

The BJP, on the other hand, looks at it differently. 

“Rahul Gandhi lacks the political calibre to counter Modi. He knows he is on a dead track and is going down on his knees to keep the ship afloat. It is a desperate attempt to revive a sinking ship. But we say, the more Rahul Gandhi travels and campaigns, it is the BJP that ends up profiting more. He has already accepted defeat,” says Ravi Kumar, the general secretary of the BJP.