Cong urges MVA allies to follow coalition dharma post Pawar's assessment of Rahul Gandhi

In signs of fissures within the MVA, Congress on Saturday took a veiled dig at NCP president Sharad Pawar for his unflattering assessment of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi. When asked about whether India was ready to accept Gandhi as a leader in a recent interview, Pawar stated, "There are some questions in this regard. There seems to be less consistency". Speaking in her capacity as the working president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, state Cabinet Minister Yashomati Thakur appealed to allies to stop commenting on her party's leadership.

She made it clear that this was a pre-requisite for the stability of the government in Maharashtra. Maintaining that this alliance was formed because of the strong belief of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP in democratic values, she urged everyone to follow the basic rules of a coalition. With 44 seats, Congress is a very critical constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra. 

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Obama's remarks stir controversy

This was the second occasion in recent weeks when questions have been raised about the political aptitude of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. As per a book review by the New York Times, former US president Barack Obama opined on Rahul Gandhi stating, "Rahul Gandhi has a nervous, unformed quality about him as if he were a student who’d done the coursework and was eager to impress the teacher but deep down lacked either the aptitude or the passion to master the subject”. The observations about the Wayanad MP comes at a juncture when the leadership crisis in the Congress party has come to the fore.

After Rahul Gandhi stepped down as the Congress president post the party's drubbing in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rae Bareli MP Sonia Gandhi again took charge of the party. In a letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi on August, 23 senior party leaders observed that the uncertainly over the leadership and the drift in the party have weakened Congress and demoralized the workers. The letter reportedly mentioned many suggestions such as the need for a full-time leadership available at the national and state headquarters, conducting elections at all levels including the Congress Working Committee and state level, the formation of an Independent Election Authority, and institutional leadership mechanism to guide the party's revival. The concerns were reiterated by Congress leaders such as Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad after the loss in the Bihar Assembly election. 

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