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.
Actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani will be the BJP's candidate against Rahul Gandhi and apex court lawyer Ajay Aggarwal against Sonia Gandhi, the party announced Monday.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Monday asked Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung to recommend to the Centre holding of early election in the city which is now under president's rule.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Monday said he had strongly taken up the issue of black money of Indians stashed abroad but Switzerland was not complying with the G20 resolution concerning end of bank secrecy.
The Supreme Court Monday extended till April 7 the stay on the execution of the death sentence of Mukesh and Pawan Gupta, two of the four convicts in the Dec 16, 2012 gang rape, as it sought a copy of the trial court judgment.
The Supreme Court Monday commuted the death sentence of 1993 terror convict Devenderpal Singh Bhullar to life imprisonment on the grounds of inordinate delay in deciding his mercy petition and on the grounds of mental illness.
Amritsar is witnessing a political "Mahabharat" as two stalwarts fight it out for this Lok Sabha seat. The unique thing about the election in Amritsar this time is that the two main contestants, Arun Jaitley of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh of the Congress, do not belong to the city.
