Delhi Confidential: Stock Response

The Congress’s stock response to questions regarding the return of Rahul Gandhi as party president has been that the media should wait as the internal election process of the party is underway. But the internal election process does not stop state units from demanding that Rahul be made the party chief. The Delhi unit of the party, after its two day Navsankalp Shivir held as a follow up to the Udaipur conclave, passed a resolution demanding that party presidentship be handed over to Rahul. Meanwhile, Rahul, who returned from abroad on Saturday, attended a meeting of the party group to plan and prepare for the Bharat Yatra which will begin from Kanyakumari on October 2.

Tricky Moves

YSRCP leader V Vijayasai Reddy’s open support to the BJP and his praises for the BJP ministers at the Centre have been welcomed pleasingly by the ruling party at the national level. But for the BJP Andhra Pradesh unit, it created confusion and they privately admit that it takes the sting out of their attacks on the YSRCP. On Sunday, Reddy, considered to be a trusted lieutenant of CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, targeted Congress’s Rahul Gandhi. “How can a family which is praised by a few congressmen as family of sacrifices swallow the money of freedom fighters? National Herald was established in 1938 with 5,000 freedom fighters as stakeholders. Self seeking Congress shut it to grab the paper’s properties,” Reddy’s public attack on Gandhi has once again embarrassed the state BJP leaders because Reddy has taken political mileage in that, too.