Rahul on mission to overhaul youth Congress

HYDERABAD: After sending Union minister and incharge of state Congress affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad to Andhra Pradesh recently to assess the party’s position and to know about the problems being faced by the party and the government, the central leadership of the Congress has now focused its attention on the affairs of the state Youth Congress. As part of it, it has started getting feedback to have total ‘transformation’ of the state youth Congress.It is learnt that Sonia Gandhi’s son and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi who is in charge of the affairs of the Youth Congress and National Students Union of India (NSUI), has sent one of his representatives and MP from Tamil Nadu Manicka Tagore to Hyderabad to get feedback on its youth wing in the state.Party insiders say that Rahul is of the view that only those persons having money, connections with leaders and political family background are emerging as party leaders."This has led to frustration among the young cadre having the calibre to grow politically,’’ they said.The young Gandhi wanted to have an ‘effective’ membership drive for the Youth Congress and then conduct elections to posts concerned in place of nominations.Tagore has received feedback from several leaders who included ministers and MLAs. Some party MLAs staying loyal to Jagan Mohan Reddy of YSR Congress, support being extended to Jagan by some ministers’ family members, demoralisation among the cadre after the party’s humiliating defeat in the Kadapa by-election, absence of effective leadership to fill the void created by the death of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Jagan’s popularity among the masses as exhibited during his Odarpu Yatra and Deekshas were among the matters brought to the notice of Rahul’s representative.Besides, he was briefed on the party’s setback in the by-elections in 12 Assembly constituencies in Telangana.Even as the party’s central leaders are grappling with the task of strengthening the state unit of the party, rebel MLA Dharmana Krishna Das (brother of minister Dharmana Prasada Rao) has announced that he will join the YSR Congress in the near future. “At present, I am continuing in the Congress. I will resign as MLA once Jagan orders me to do so. My family members and I have love and affection for YSR. Hence our support to his son Jagan,” he explained.It is to be seen how the leadership will tackle rebels before attempting ‘transformation’ of the Congress and the Youth Congress.