Janardan Dwivedi questions selection process of new Cong chief, asks Rahul to form panel

Veteran Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi Tuesday questioned the selection process of a new party president and said Rahul Gandhi should have formulated a mechanism to suggest the name of his successor as technically he is still the party chief.

Dwivedi, who held the all-important position of AICC general secretary (organisation) for over two decades, said convention and norms should be followed in electing a new party president.

"Who is selecting the new Congress president? As far as I understand the Congress party's constitution, Rahul Gandhi continues to be the party president. Probably, on that basis, some fresh appointments have also been made," he said.

"If he (Gandhi) continues to be the party chief, on what basis is the election of the new Congress president being done. Who is doing it?" Dwivedi posed.

The credibility of the panel holding informal discussions about selecting a Congress chief would have been more if it was set up formally, the veteran Congress leader said.

"There should have been some mechanism which the present Congress president Rahul Gandhi should have formulated which could have suggested a name for the new party chief and put before the working committee for it to endorse," Dwivedi said.

He said if Gandhi forms a formal panel, it can hold talks with party workers and leaders across the country before suggesting a name for the post of Congress president. The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of the party, could then ratify the appointment.

He cited the example of Sonia Gandhi forming a four-member panel to look after party affairs and take decisions when she had gone abroad for her treatment.

"But, where is such a committee now? Who constituted it?" Dwivedi asked, adding, "There would have been credibility, if there was a formal set up and a committee was formed. Then there would have been no confusion among party workers."
"What kind of committee is it where A K Antony has not gone even once. To my knowledge, he is not attending that meetings."
Lauding Rahul Gandhi's decision to resign from the post of Congress president, he said, "Till the time you are ready to leave something, you will not get anything back."
In response to a question, he said, "Rahul Gandhi's resignation establishes an ideal that other leaders in the party should follow."
"But, those holding a position in the party is not ready to quit."
Asked about a young leader taking over as party chief, Dwivedi said, "The idea of suggesting a young leader can be made applicable in case of Congress president too, but you cannot be rigid on this. The issue of acceptability has to be seen. You can have young leadership on other positions."