Break will refresh Rahul, says Cong; BJP, Sena mock it

The Congress, however, in a damage control bid assured that its vice-president would soon return to actively participate in party matters. But, there were murmurs within the party with some disapproving of Rahul’s move — a senior Congress leader in J&K said: “The tendency of escapism is not a way out…”

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Rahul’s absence on the first day of the Budget session given fresh ammunition to the BJP, with its MP Anurag Thakur telling reporters: “They (Congress leaders) were missing in the last two Lok Sabhas as well. And this is why the Congress has come to 44 seats in Lok Sabha.”

Reacting to the development, Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said, “If somebody wants to go on leave, he can go. But the people of the country have sent Congress on a long leave. This is definite.”

The Shiv Sena also mocked the Congress, with Sanjay Raut saying at a time when the issue of land acquisition has come to the fore in Parliament, he has gone to retrieve the “lost land” of his party.

However, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, when asked by reporters to comment on Rahul’s absence, said his party would continue to function as an effective and constructive opposition under the guidance of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul going on a leave was announced on the eve of the Budget session in which the party had earlier decided to target the government on land ordinance issue and the Congress vice-president himself was slated to lead a party agitation at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday.

His sudden leave has set off speculations about his future role in the party and also that he was unhappy with lobbies of some senior leaders close to the party president (Sonia Gandhi). Some of the ideas of Rahul on party reforms, it has been learnt, have not found favour with a dominant section of the old guard.

Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, however, rejected the speculations saying he “condemns and denies such unjustifiable” questions.

He said Rahul requested the Congress president that he needs a few weeks to “reflect both on recent events related to the party and its future course” as he believes that this “introspection” is vital for the party. “He (Rahul) believes that the AICC session (expected in the first week of April) is vital and he would like to give specific inputs on this. He wants to do introspection with what happened with regard to Congress in recent times and earlier,” Singhvi said.

However, some party leaders were unhappy with Rahul’s sudden move. Senior Congress leader and chairman of Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council Amrit Malhotra, said: “One needs courage, mind and commitment and one also has to take the difficult path to tackle such issues. The tendency of escapism is not a way out and we hope that he gets the courage.” He also said many people were now “fed up with it (party leadership) as it remains invisible’’.