Rajesh Khanna ready to follow Meira out of Cong

The noted filmstar recently declined an offer from the Congress to field him from Kannauj, which faces a by-election after Mulayam Singh Yadav chose to vacate it and retain Sambhal.

Party insiders view the developments as an indication of the things to come, what with Sonia Gandhi facing her toughest challenge yet in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Barring perhaps Manipur, where its alliance with the ManipurPeople’s Party (MPP) may see it through, the party appears to have a slim chance of forming governments in Bihar, Orissa or Haryana.

All the three former MPs, especially Meira Kumar, have the “sympathy” of many senior leaders still in the party, including the CWC, who are unable to take any “bold step” as of now. Once the results are out later this month, this may translate into a challenge to Sonia. The party is abuzz with speculation over the timing of Meira’s resignation, which some say was not a knee-jerk reaction but a planned move after “secret consultations” with senior party leaders who have been critical of Sonia’s leadership and her so-called coterie of loyalists. She is also believed to have “discussed” her resignation with former Congress stalwart and NCP president Sharad Pawar.

Among the senior leaders and CWC members who visited her or spoke to her on telephone, there were several who “not only approved of her move but also shared her views about the present state of theparty”.

Party circles say that Meira’s resignation and her subsequent attack on the party charging it with having fallen prey to “sycophancy and durbari politics” apart from being the first direct attack on Sonia’s leadership after the Sharad Pawar revolt last year also echoes the sentiments of many leaders still in the party.

“While Meira may have quit for more than just political considerations, the issues of sycophancy, coterie politics and the party’s alienation from Dalits and the poor raised by her are pertinent and a subject of discontent in the party for sometime,” a CWC member said, on condition of anonymity.

Party sources also point to the unprecedented attempt made by senior leaders, including Sonia herself, to woo Meira back after she had already announced her decision to quit as a sign of how defensive and tentative the party leadership has become.