Rahul Gandhi has always been active and his presence only underscores the hope in Congress that he will take charge as president, senior party functionary and Rajya Sabha MP. Jairam Ramesh says You. Interview excerpts:
Rahul Gandhi is active again after a hiatus. What does this indicate?
Rahul Gandhi has always been active. It is the hope of every Congressman that Rahul should be elected as the party president. We had announced the election schedule for June 30 which was postponed due to second wave. But I am echoing the sentiments of Congress workers across the country, who are hoping that Rahul will return as party president.
Has Congress Solved Its “GenNext Vs. Old” Mistake?
“Young vs old” is a media construct. Such a debate had never happened in Congress. Every party has to renew itself. You have to open doors for the new generation. For every Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada, children of privilege who leave us for greener pastures, there are thousands of young people who are slogging it without the benefit of degree and lineage.
You have to reflect their aspirations. We are a party of experience and veterans, we have to bring everyone together. And Rahul recognizes this.
Is the unity of the opposition confined to the Parliament or will it shape the anti-BJP alliance in the future?
This unity in Parliament reflects the similarity of ideas outside Parliament. It is a coming together of like-minded parties and though it is not a formal alliance yet, these are the parties that have held leader-level talks and on two occasions submitted a joint memorandum to the Prime Minister on COVID and agricultural laws Is. This will require a lot of homework at the level of leaders to strengthen the pre-poll alliance. It is an emerging unity. The fact that Rahul Gandhi has been present in two meetings of floor leaders and hosted a breakfast meeting… with Rahul, he has spoken about the issues that unite us. We are fighting in those states which have attended these meetings, like you. How this develops for 2024 is something we’ll take as it comes.
Congress has seen repeated setbacks in the recent past. Can it make a comeback against the BJP in North and West India?
We were expecting to form government in Assam and Kerala and we did not expect zero in Bengal elections. But we have to move on. We have to take these knocks and learn the appropriate lesson. Congress won the last election against BJP in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and we are a force in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Haryana. The 2014 results were disappointing and 2019 was a shock. It is a wake-up call, but Congress is a party with great flexibility and name recognition across the country and Congress system is the only way to manage India – see, how BJP uses “High Command”, and hypocritically “Sabka” Saath Sabka Vikas”. Slogan. There is still a lot of goodwill for the Congress and we have to be effective in converting it into votes.
Since the parties are postponing it, will the issue of leadership again prove to be a deal breaker?
These are premature issues and what is needed is unity of purpose and programme. We are united to rid the country of Narendra Modi and the BJP government. But it must have a solid programmatic material to strengthen the opposition.
Unity is riding on Bengal election results. Can the next assembly election in early 2022 bring it back?
There are many pillars of opposition unity, the resounding victory of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and now Mamata Banerjee. TMC has been a part of meetings in Parliament. Bengal is a transformative moment in the political story of the country. We are hopeful that opposition unity will overtake the next assembly elections as all parties realize the damage done to the country’s democratic institutions, economy and society by this “one-man show, two-man army of government”.
Rahul Gandhi is active again after a hiatus. What does this indicate?
Rahul Gandhi has always been active. It is the hope of every Congressman that Rahul should be elected as the party president. We had announced the election schedule for June 30 which was postponed due to second wave. But I am echoing the sentiments of Congress workers across the country, who are hoping that Rahul will return as party president.
Has Congress Solved Its “GenNext Vs. Old” Mistake?
“Young vs old” is a media construct. Such a debate had never happened in Congress. Every party has to renew itself. You have to open doors for the new generation. For every Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada, children of privilege who leave us for greener pastures, there are thousands of young people who are slogging it without the benefit of degree and lineage.
You have to reflect their aspirations. We are a party of experience and veterans, we have to bring everyone together. And Rahul recognizes this.
Is the unity of the opposition confined to the Parliament or will it shape the anti-BJP alliance in the future?
This unity in Parliament reflects the similarity of ideas outside Parliament. It is a coming together of like-minded parties and though it is not a formal alliance yet, these are the parties that have held leader-level talks and on two occasions submitted a joint memorandum to the Prime Minister on COVID and agricultural laws Is. This will require a lot of homework at the level of leaders to strengthen the pre-poll alliance. It is an emerging unity. The fact that Rahul Gandhi has been present in two meetings of floor leaders and hosted a breakfast meeting… with Rahul, he has spoken about the issues that unite us. We are fighting in those states which have attended these meetings, like you. How this develops for 2024 is something we’ll take as it comes.
Congress has seen repeated setbacks in the recent past. Can it make a comeback against the BJP in North and West India?
We were expecting to form government in Assam and Kerala and we did not expect zero in Bengal elections. But we have to move on. We have to take these knocks and learn the appropriate lesson. Congress won the last election against BJP in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and we are a force in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Haryana. The 2014 results were disappointing and 2019 was a shock. It is a wake-up call, but Congress is a party with great flexibility and name recognition across the country and Congress system is the only way to manage India – see, how BJP uses “High Command”, and hypocritically “Sabka” Saath Sabka Vikas”. Slogan. There is still a lot of goodwill for the Congress and we have to be effective in converting it into votes.
Since the parties are postponing it, will the issue of leadership again prove to be a deal breaker?
These are premature issues and what is needed is unity of purpose and programme. We are united to rid the country of Narendra Modi and the BJP government. But it must have a solid programmatic material to strengthen the opposition.
Unity is riding on Bengal election results. Can the next assembly election in early 2022 bring it back?
There are many pillars of opposition unity, the resounding victory of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and now Mamata Banerjee. TMC has been a part of meetings in Parliament. Bengal is a transformative moment in the political story of the country. We are hopeful that opposition unity will overtake the next assembly elections as all parties realize the damage done to the country’s democratic institutions, economy and society by this “one-man show, two-man army of government”.
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