Clamour grows for Rahul’s successor in Congress, Janardan Dwivedi says he should have appointed his successor

A day after senior Congress leader Karan Singh said he was “aghast” at the disorientation into which the party had fallen after Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, veteran Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi expressed his concern over the state of affairs in the Congress party and said that Rahul Gandhi should have appointed his successor.

Talking to the media, 73-years old Congress leader who was dropped from the CWC in July last year said, “Some constitutional mechanism should have been constituted by the party president under which opinion of members of working committee should have been taken”.

Stating that Rahul Gandhi is technically still the Congress president, Dwivedi added, “Rahul should form a committee for suggesting name of his successor”.

He also said that Rahul Gandhi’s decision to step down was ideal and everyone should follow him.

Dwivedi cited the example of Sonia Gandhi when she had gone for treatment to the US in 2012. Sonia Gandhi had appointed a group of leaders to discharge her functions.

Dwivedi, known as a close confident of UPA chairperson of Sonia Gandhi, had served Congress as AICC general secretary (organisation) in the past.

Rahul Gandhi had quit as party president two days after the Lok Sabha election results were announced in May.

Reiterating his resolve to resign, Rahul Gandhi made his resignation public on July 3, writing a farewell note to his party members saying that the party’s working committee should meet immediately to decide on his successor.