OPCC pushes for Rahul or Sonia at the helm
BHUBANESWAR: Amidst the ongoing debate over election of Congress president, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Sunday pressed for all out efforts to persuade Rahul Gandhi to take up the post. If he still is not ready, present party chief Sonia Gandhi should continue, the State Congress unit emphasised.
While passing a unanimous resolution in the presence of Pradesh Returning Officer (PRO) of the Congress Niroj Dangi authorising the Congress president to nominate all office-bearers and AICC members including the State president, the OPCC members reposed faith on either Rahul or Sonia Gandhi to lead the party.
Even as no specific resolution was passed, the meeting discussed three options on the issue of the party president. The first was that former president Rahul Gandhi should be persuaded to take up the post, or else, the present party chief Sonia Gandhi should continue.
If there will be any opposition in view of the ongoing debate that the post should go to a non-Gandhi family member, the leaders felt that somebody chosen by the Gandhi family should be elected.Discussion was also held on an alternative scenario where somebody not chosen by the Gandhi family wanted to contest.
“Then election will be held and as Gandhi family supporters are in a majority in the electoral roll, the selected candidate will only be elected,” PCC sources said.Talking to this paper, OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak pitched for Rahul Gandhi to take over as the president. “He will be the best person to take over from Sonia Gandhi to continue her good work,” he added.
Sources in the party maintained that even if a non-Gandhi person takes over as the party president, workers will look up to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi for leadership. Besides, the experiment of non-Gandhi family member as president has failed in the past, they added.