NEW DELHI: Foreign minister Salman Khurshid on Friday called Rahul Gandhi the "commander" of Congress who should take the reins of the organization, piling pressure on the young leader to give early consent for his elevation as No.2 in the party.
Reacting to the announcement of Rahul leading the party's election strategy panel, widely seen as a sign of his stepping up to the plate in response to popular demand, Khurshid said, "We now know who is our commander and under whom we will contest the elections. This has been the demand of the party for a long time that Rahul, who is working with the youth and lending cooperation to Sonia Gandhi, should move forward and take the leadership in his hands."
But the elation does not fully mask the sense of exasperation over the delay in taking the transition to its logical conclusion by giving his consent for a formal No.2 position in the party.
Many in the party feel that heading the poll panel for 2014 does not clinch the process of transition. "There is no doubt about who is No.2 in Congress but why not formalize it and be done with it," a senior leader asked.
Rahul has remained engaged with party work, belying the worry that the chastisement from the UP electorate might push him into a shell. He was involved in the latest round of ministerial reshuffle, and has been even holding parleys with senior leaders on preparations for 2014. Still, he has so far fought shy of formally taking the mantle from mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Meanwhile, expectations of an early plunge continue to soar. A day after Congress announced the high-powered committee to oversee preparations for the 2014 polls, leaders were quick to see the signals of Rahul becoming the prime ministerial face of Congress. It remained the biggest political story with the hype evoking strong reaction from the opposition.
Rahul is our commander: Khurshid
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Rahul is our commander: Khurshid
