Pawar for Nitish Kumar raises a question over Rahul Gandhi's future
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar shooed away TV reporters trying to get him to elaborate on his remarks made a day earlier that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and not the Congress should head the anti-BJP front in the future.
It wasn't just curious journalists, Pawar's remarks coming on the back of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's backing for Nitish have set political circles abuzz. For the Congress, the fear is that what has started as a trickle might just become a flood in favour of Nitish.
Most Congressmen are drawing comfort from the fact that Pawar's statement at least rules out any truck on his part with the BJP.
But a more careful reading of the underlying message of the Maratha strongman that the Congress was no longer the natural alternative to the BJP should worry Congress' political managers.
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| Pawar believes that a Congress led by Sonia Gandhi would be a better unifier than one led by Rahul. |
The Congress has been assiduously trying to build up its vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the leader of any potential anti-BJP grouping for subsequent elections. But Pawar's observations seem to suggest that that is not a sentiment shared by many in the Opposition.
While Pawar does not rule out a critical role for the Congress in any future anti-BJP grouping, he also believes that a Congress led by Sonia Gandhi would be better suited to play the role of a unifier than one led by Rahul.
While his observations constitute an acknowledgement of the kind of respect and acceptability that Congress president Sonia has come to enjoy amongst her peers, it also suggests that many in the Opposition do not have the same degree of confidence in the Congress vice-president, at least for now.
Pawar's acknowledgement of Sonia's stature is significant, considering that he had fallen out with her which had led to his expulsion from the party. Pawar's comments are also a reminder that Rahul Gandhi has still some way to go before he comes to be accepted by senior leaders outside of the Congress.