P Chidambaram dismissed talk about remote control of new party chief by the Gandhis
The election of a new Congress president will not diminish the voice of the Gandhis, veteran leader P Chidambaram said today as the party voted for a non-Gandhi chief, the first in nearly 25 years. But he dismissed what he called the "assumption" that the Gandhis would retain the remote control even after a new Congress chief took charge.
"No one is saying the voice of the Gandhis will diminish," Mr Chidambaram told NDTV in an exclusive interview after the voting closed.
Bruised by relentless criticism of their leadership because of election defeats, the Gandhis refused to get involved in the polls and asserted that it was time for a non-Gandhi to take charge.
Some 9,000 delegates, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, voted to choose between Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor. Though the Gandhis are not in the contest, Mr Kharge is widely seen to be their choice for the top post.
Mr Chidambaram dismissed the perception of "remote-control" by the Gandhis.
"That is stock criticism. The allegation of the Gandhis remote controlling is an assumption. Let's assume the Gandhis will still have a great degree of influence at the national level. But when it percolates down, you think the Gandhis will be able to dictate once leaders are elected at district level through elections?" he questioned.
But he conceded that for major decisions, the new president has to listen to the Gandhis' views.
"Whoever wins - I know who will win but be that as it may - I hope 90 to 95% of the administrative, managerial decisions will be taken under the authority of the Congress president. Of course, the major decisions would have to involve other leaders, the Congress working Committee (CWC), the parliamentary board, in which Gandhis will surely be represented. How can you imagine that the Gandhis, post today, will vanish from CWC, parliamentary board? The Gandhis will be there and they will have a view. The new Congress president must take into account their view."
What if that view is more of a diktat, he was asked.
"This is a suspicion. You are suspecting their word. But I take it on face value," Mr Chidambaram shot back.
"You have to treat this (election) as a major change in 22 years. The (new chief) has to work with the Gandhis, he has to work with the state leaders. I am sure the new Congress president will learn to work with everybody," he said.
Many are skeptical about any radical changes after a new chief takes over; Mr Kharge has already made it clear that he sees "no shame" in seeking the Gandhis' advice and support.
Mr Chidambaram was among those in the Congress who had pushed for organisational elections as a big step towards party reforms ahead of the 2024 national election.
The first job of the new president, he said, would be to fix the organisation, hold elections and build teams.
"The political temperature can be raised by a party. But a proper party structure needs to exist and this can be done in 15 months," he said.
This is the sixth actual election in the 137-year-old party after Independence. For much of its history, members of the Nehru-Gandhi family have been elected unopposed.
Mr Chidambaram said he last voted in a Congress president election when Indira Gandhi was challenged for the post. He quit the Congress in 1997 to join the breakaway Tamil Maanila Congress and returned just before the 2004 national election.
"I was the first voter today. We were three of us, I voted first. I think it is important to carry out this process. And take the elections down to the district and state level," Mr Chidambaram said.
"The process means we are opening up the party to new people."