Tongues are wagging inside the Congress party that if it wants to win the Kerala Assembly elections, then send K.C Venugopal to the state as the PCC chief, otherwise the Left Democratic Front (LDF) might return for a record third term. The sarcasm is unmissable. Venugopal’s magical hold over the party’s organisational affairs remains undiminished despite the Congress losing a string of high-profile Assembly elections.
The tongue-in-cheek comment is, of course, a reflection of a large section of the party wanting to see the back of Venugopal and see his exit from the circle of influence that he managed to create around the top leadership of the Congress, which is often referred to as the “high command.” There is no denying that he has established himself as the undisputed chief courtier of the party as a proxy for Rahul Gandhi’s veto powers and has his full trust and support.
Rahul Gandhi has relegated a great deal of his decision-making powers to Venugopal. This has irked a large number of senior Congress leaders, who feel that Venugopal works on his whims and fancies without keeping the interest of the party in mind. Most of the party leaders have surrendered before Venugopal and toe his diktat, knowing well that the route to Gandhi’s heart passes through Venugopal.
Even a Gandhi loyalist and close confidante, Ajay Maken, who is the AICC treasurer, has to rely on Venugopal before taking any decision. Sources in the party say that Gandhi has asked Maken to consult Venugopal before executing any decision. Both Makan and Venugopal now prefer to work from the spanking new Indira Bhawan office rather than the old bastion of 24 Akbar Road.
Even the General Secretaries and state in charges rarely mark their presence in the Congress’ new office. The common refrain is that they don’t come to the office because there is hardly any work, since most of the decisions are taken by Venugopal
This has confused the party workers since access to the Indira Bhawan is not as easy as it was compared to the Akbar Road headquarters. For them it has become virtually impossible to meet any of the top leaders. The buzz is that the top leadership of the party wants to restrict public interaction as much as possible.
Even the General Secretaries and state in charges rarely mark their presence in the Congress’ new office. The common refrain is that they don’t come to the office because there is hardly any work, since most of the decisions are taken by Venugopal. By now it’s clear nothing can move in the party without Venugopal’s consent.
Even senior Congress leaders like Bhupesh Baghel, who is AICC General Secretary and in charge of Punjab do not take any decision without Venugopal’s nod. Top leaders say Punjab is a rich state and is ripe for winning in the next Assembly elections, but Venugopal controls the workings of the party with the help of his trusted group of lieutenants. As such, things have been going adrift in Punjab for a while now.
Rajasthan in charge, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, is also said to be a part of Venugopal’s kitchen cabinet, through whom he controls the affairs in the state. Randhawa is reported to share good relations with veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra, and Congress Legislative Party leader Tika Ram Jully.
The recent appointment of district presidents in Rajasthan was entirely controlled by this group, which placed their loyalists to the post, negating Gandhi’s idea of making district presidents an important component for strengthening the party’s organisational structure.
Gehlot harbours Rajya Sabha ambitions and Venugopal is working overtime to fulfil his wishes, even though he led a full-fledged rebellion against Sonia Gandhi. Party sources say that Venugopal has convinced the high command that it’s necessary to accommodate Gehlot at the centre through Rajya Sabha for creating space for a new leadership in the state. It seems Venugopal is keen on making Dotasra as the face of the party in Rajasthan instead of Sachin Pilot.
Senior Congress leaders point out that Venugopal despite his poor grasp of Hindi—essential for holding the most important organisational post in the party— has cast a spell on Gandhi so strong that the party’s scion refuses to see the writings on the wall. With the LDF regaining ground in Kerala, the most common refrain the Congress party is that Venugopal should be sent to state so that Left can come back to power for the third time.
Renu Mittal
Renu Mittal is a veteran Journalist of India. She has been reporting on the Congress Party affairs since 1983.
