Congress working on Rahul formula for ‘viable’ candidates

By Dilip Awasthi
Lucknow:
Rahul Gandhi’s grand plan for Uttar Pradesh is unfolding now. The Congress general secretary’s handpicked AICC volunteers have launched a massive hunt to short-list ‘winnable’ candidates for 2012 U.P. assembly elections. All these volunteers are drawn from different states so that only ‘merit’ prevails. They will report directly to Rahul.

The 10 volunteers have been allotted around 40 assembly constituencies each so that all the 403 seats are covered. They are traveling through their respective areas and interacting at the grass-root level. Their brief is to suggest a panel of three to five candidates for each seat in the order of `viability’. They have to go into the logistics of past elections and make final recommendations in the prescribed AICC format. The deadline is March 31, 2011.

The AICC instructions issued to these observers by general secretary Digvijaya Singh, also incharge of U.P., categorically state: “You have to submit your report directly to Shri Rahul Gandhi in a closed cover marked as `Confidential’….. The report is not to be shared with any other in the AICC or PCC.” Explains Singh, “The idea is to let Rahulji have an unadulterated feel of the ground.”

The observers have been drawn from different states. Three are from MP, two each from Mumbai and Delhi and one each from Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat. The instructions say: “Instead of meeting the workers in the circuit house, you should try to meet/contact commen people and take their opinion about the most viable candidates.” The observers are supposed to attend village chaupals (informal meetings) organized by the prospective candidates and make their assessment based on the spot feedback.

Most of these observers have already finished the first round. Some are into their third leg and already have had interim interaction with Rahul Gandhi. Muzzaffar Hussain, a Congress MLC from Mumbai has held more than 80 chaupals in eight eastern U.P. districts between November 15 and December 16. The district Congress President, the MP, MLAs of the area are invariably present in these chaupals. Says PL Punia Congress MP from Bara Banki, who has been attending these chaupals, “ You cannot fib in these chaupals. If you are popular it shows.”

The exercise has been happening simultaneously in other parts. Says Congress Legislature Party chief Pramod Tewari, “ The idea is to finish this homework and have final lists ready by May, 2011.” But obviously these AICC observers are having a tough time navigating through vested interests, pulls and pushes of the local leaders. Congress tickets have been traditionally decided through lobbying or pressure tactics. Says PCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, “ This exercise will give us a fair and unbiased base to work on. The intention is to get the best possible candidates.”

The last point of the AICC instructions is even more unnerving for the local leaders. The circular states: “If there is a powerful and popular person, who is not as yet with the Congress Party, you should try to win him over….”

Rahul says Congress is ready to sacrifice Govt.

Amethi, July 16, 2008:

It is not often that Rahul Gandhi interacts with the media specially when he is touring his parliamentary constituency. A little restless and contemplative Gandhi scion decided to hold a press conference to back Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "vision, tenacity and leadership" over the Indo-US nuclear deal this after noon. He went on to say the nuke deal was worth the risk of sacrificing the government, if it came to that.

Rahul's almost desperate statement spilled the beans that the Congress was not ruling out the fall of government when it faces trust vote in the Lok Sabha on July 22. Speculations are rife that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh might step down even before his government seeks trusts vote on the floor of the house.

Coming out fully in support of the deal Rahul on second thoughts expressed confidence that the government would secure the vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha. "The deal is being opposed for political reasons. But in political life, risks have to be taken. The leadership the prime minister is showing...He thinks it is in the interest of the country. If the government falls in the process so be it," he told reporters.
"When you are convinced that it is in the interest of the people of the country, numbers don't matter. This decision that the prime minister has taken, in my view, is the right decision ," he said. In a reference to Left parties, "they" have an ideological position but the Congress has decided it is good for the country.
"There are people in BJP and other parties who are 100 per cent for the deal. I don't understand why there are people opposing the deal. It is not only Rahul Gandhi but every young person in the country who is bound to support the deal because it is going to change the future face of the country," he said.
When it was pointed out that this had led Congress to align with Samajwadi Party, a party it had opposed earlier and the new alignment may hurt Congress in the long run, he said, " we have staked whatever we could."
"I remember during my childhood when my father was doing this (ushering in the computer and it revolution) people used to say it is completely ridiculous. Various arguments were given. Some said how do the farmers gain from it and today almost everyone has a computer. And some have it on their watches," he said.
Once again during his two-day tour Rahul had his dinner in a dalit's house, adding to the growing irrigation of the chief minister Mayawati.