The recent spate of appointments, which are said to have been made that the behest of Rahul Gandhi, has left party workers in a state of shock and awe
There is no denying that the Congress party is undergoing a serious internal churn as Team Rahul tries to assert its greater control. Party workers and leaders alike are stunned at the manner in which appointments are being made as Rahul Gandhi has given a free hand to his close associates to act on their whims and fancies.
The latest controversy surrounds the appointment of Manish Sharma, who has just been appointed as Indian Youth Congress AICC in charge, courtesy Meenakshi Natarajan, one of the navaratnas of Rahul Gandhi.
Manish Sharma was reportedly a domestic help at the residence of Natrajan (yes you read that correctly, he performed domestic chores too). He has never held an organisational post in the party, never been in the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Youth Congress, or any state unit, or anywhere else.
This is his first official post, and that too, straight into the Congress Working Committee—the highest decision-making body of the party where leaders are inducted after a lifetime of work and experience.
For a while, efforts were on to build Sharma’s profile by involving him in some party-related activity at an informal level. But the fact that he has been parachuted into a high-profile position without holding any post or position in the party is not lost on anyone. According to party insiders, he has no demonstrable experience in handling the party’s affairs either.
Congress sources say that Natrajan is now a member of Rahul’s inner circle—an informal clique, which calls itself Jan Jagat. It has been reliably learnt that this group has taken major decisions which have a crucial bearing on the party’s functioning.
Another member of this group Krishna Allaveru was in charge of Youth Congress, but he had to leave the post since being elevated as the Bihar in charge some months back.
Congress’s relationship with Tejashwi Yadav has been put under a huge strain after Allaveru convinced Rahul Gandhi to act tough with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader. With the election tempo in Bihar reaching its fever pitch, it’s now being reported that Yadav has barred Allaveru from attending meetings at his residence. Now, another non-starter Avinash Pandey has been despatched to Bihar to fix things.
With Rahul Gandhi, it’s a constant process of experimentation and outsourcing to either K. C. Venugopal or the new group, which is misleading him. It’s being said that party workers are stunned by the appointment of Sharma and are calling it an unheard of in the Congress’ history.
Renu Mittal
Renu Mittal is a veteran Journalist of India. She is reporting on the Congress Party affairs since 1983.