Rahul Gandhi should step back if the Congress fails to get the desired results in the Lok Sabha polls, suggested political strategist Prashant Kishor.
Despite his failure to deliver in the past decade, Gandhi is still practically running the Congress and has not stepped aside or allowed others to lead the party, Kishor told PTI. Interestingly, the political strategist had come up with a plan to revive the grand old party but left midway over disagreements with the Congress top brass.
"When you are doing the same work for the last 10 years without any success, then there is no harm in taking a break... You should allow someone else to do it for five years. Your mother did it," he said, pointing out Sonia Gandhi's decision to take a sabbatical after her husband Rajiv Gandhi's assassination when P.V. Narasimha Rao took over the reins.
"...It seems to Rahul Gandhi that he knows everything. Nobody can help you if you do not recognise the need for help. He believes he needs someone who can execute what he thinks is right. It is not possible," he added.
Kishor said that despite resigning as the Congress president, Rahul is still the last word when it comes to key decisions. He also claimed that many leaders would privately admit that even decisions regarding a single seat needs approval from Rahul.
Kishore said Rahul should not be stubborn about delivering for the party as the Congress and its supporters are bigger than any individual. "The Congress should not be merely seen as a party. The space it represents in the country can never be finished off. It is not possible. The Congress has evolved and reincarnated itself several times in its history," he said.
He also differed with Rahul's claim that his party lost polls in the past due to compromised poll panel, judiciary and media, saying it might be partly true but not the complete truth.
He said the Congress needs to address the "structural" flaws in its functioning as the party's vote shares and seats in Lok Sabha and assemblies have been dropping since 1984.
However, he dismissed claims that the Congress in a terminal decline, pointing out that the party returned to power in 2004 polls when similar claims were made back then.
-- with inputs from PTI
