Rahul Gandhi not being allowed to function independently: Digvijay
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Feb, 2015 11:54 AM
Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi "feels very strongly" that he is not being allowed to function independently by "vested interests" in the party, said Congress party general secretary Digvijay Singh Wednesday.
In an interview with Headlines Today, Digvijay Singh said Rahul Gandhi was "not running away" and he is "made of sterner stuff".
Digvijay Singh said that Gandhi had held consultations on the future roadmap of the Congress before going on leave. He acknowledged that he was surprised when he learnt about the latter's leave, adding he came to know about it from journalists.
Asked if Gandhi was frustrated at not being allowed to function freely within the party, Digvijay Singh said: "I'm not sure of that, only he can answer. One thing I know that he feels very strongly that he is not being allowed to function independently."
When asked who was stopping him Singh said "the party itself", adding: "Vested interests in the party."
He discounted any difference between party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, saying they had a good bonding but they were different in their thinking due to the age gap, a feature which exists in all families.
Digvijay Singh also mentioned Congress workers in Delhi were more disillusioned with Rahul Gandhi than their colleagues from other units in the country.
"Time has come for him to aggressively come out on issues. He should be seen more. People want to know what Rahul Gandhi stands for. What is Rahul Gandhi's development strategy for the country," he added.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the phone Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his transit halt at Frankfurt on his way back home from the BRICS summit in Brazil and both leaders invited each other for official visits.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Thursday called upon NRIs to work for the reconstruction of the country, and said Indians living abroad endorse the NDA government as their "own".
The government is not considering any artificial rainfall/cloud seeding programmes with the help of state governments and commercial firms due to scarcity in rainfall, parliament was told Thursday.
A middle-aged woman was stripped and assaulted in public in Bihar's Jehanabad district for allegedly kidnapping two men whose bodies were found later, police said. The opposition termed the incident "return of jungle raj", while Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi Thursday ordered a probe.
After bikinis, mini-skirts and pubs, spas and salons in coastal Goa now find themselves under the scanner of the politico-moral police who are out to take the fun out of the state that is one of India's top tourist draws for its many attractions.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping and called for a solution to the "boundary question" as the two countries sought to expand their economic relations and rectify the trade imbalance.
