Sonia Gandhi was on Saturday, 10 August, appointed as interim president of the Congress at a crucial meeting of the party's working committee, after Rahul Gandhi refused pleas by party men to take back his resignation.
But what does Sonia’s return as party chief after 20 months mean for the Congress? Can the party ever look beyond the Gandhi family?
‘Don’t Think Congress Can Do Without The Gandhis’: Arati Jerath
Speaking on the matter during a primetime debate on BloombergQuint, senior journalist Arati Jerath said, “Neither do I think that the party can do without the Gandhis nor do I think that Gandhis will let go of the party. The question is what do they expect of Sonia Gandhi? And what can Sonia deliver at a time when Congress has reached its lowest in Indian politics?”
She added that she believes that Sonia Gandhi could very well be acting as the “night watchman” till one of her children, Rahul or Priyanka, is ready to take over the reins of the party.
‘Congress Needs a Face More Than Ideology’: Madhavan Narayanan
Senior journalist Madhavan Narayanan noted that “real challenge for the Congress is not of ideology but of the face.” He said, “Arrival of Narendra Modi on the scene has created a situation where the old talk of collective leadership or parliamentary democracy doesn’t work anymore. There is a certain mood now to have a leader who is a projected face.”
‘Congress Facing a Three-Fold Challenge’: Narayan Lakshman
Narayan Lakshman, Associate Editor of The Hindu, believes that the Congress party is facing a three-fold challenge of “ideology”, “projection of a face” and a “party organisation.”
He said, “The change in leadership will have to go hand in hand with rejigging of the party’s ideological basis.”
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)