Sonia GandhiThe tussle in the Congress between Team Rahul Gandhi and members of the old guard played out once again on Thursday. A proposal mooted by the Congress’s training department headed by Sachin Rao, a Rahul confidante, to appoint a group of motivators called ‘preraks’ to impart training to its workers was nixed at a meeting chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi. The meeting was discussing training module and the upcoming membership drive. One gets to hear that AICC treasurer Ahmed Patel raised objection to the word ‘prerak’ saying it sounded like ‘pracharak’ of the RSS. Rao tried to explain, but many others like Punjab PCC chief Sunil Jakhar spoke on similar lines. Sonia then said she was not comfortable with the word.
Familiar streak
Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala is known for his obduracy. Therefore, there was no surprise when he showed the door to grandson Dushyant Chautala after his supporters booed senior party leaders at a rally at Gohana last year. However, Dushyant, a former MP, seems to prove now that he has inherited this streak of his grandfather. While some Khap leaders of the Jat community are making frantic efforts to re-unite the squabbling family members ahead of the Assembly polls in Haryana, it is Dushyant who is apparently unwilling to fold up his Jannayak Janata Party.
On Vacation
BJP veteran L K Advani was in Kerala recently for a private visit. But his six-day visit, which started on September 2, became almost official with high-profile leaders making it a point to meet him. When Advani and his daughter Pratibha arrived in Kochi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan happened to be there. After being told about Advani’s visit, Vijayan came to him to enquire about his holiday plans. While staying in a resort in Mararikkulam in Alappuzha, Advani had another visitor — Arif Mohammed Khan who had just taken over as Kerala’s Governor. During his stay there, Advani got a taste of Kerala’s famous boat race. Although the main events were to come up later, the oarsmen of Kerala Police Association organised a special training session for the BJP leader.
Fighting feuds
Known for her man-management skills, Sonia Gandhi is probably stepping in to bring peace to the Congress’s Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan units. Sonia on Thursday met Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot. Incidentally, Pilot said law and order in the state is a matter of concern. Gehlot is in charge of Home Ministry. Sonia will meet both of them along with other Congress chief ministers on Friday as well. She also met Digvijaya Singh who is at the centre of a factional feud in Madhya Pradesh after Forest Minister Umang Singhar, considered close to Jyotiraditya Scindia, hit out at him.
