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.
Even before formally taking over as the prime minister, Narendra Modi is on the job already as he called Afghan President Hamid Karzai and condemned the terror attack on Indian consulate in Herat.
The Congress Friday defended its vice president Rahul Gandhi against mounting criticism in the party and said his sister Priyanka Gandhi only could decide if she wanted to take up a bigger role in the party.
A storm is brewing in the BJP with many Delhi leaders allegedly threatening to "not cooperate" and even "lose deliberately" if former top cop Kiran Bedi was named the party's next chief ministerial nominee, party sources said.
The AAP Thursday said it will approach a higher court against the magistrate's decision to send its leader Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody in a defamation case.
Voices are growing in the Congress over the role of "Team Rahul" in the Lok Sabha elections with suggestions that the aides of vice president Rahul Gandhi could not read the ground realities.
