RJD's Shivanand Tiwary calls ally Cong's Rahul Gandhi 'uninspiring'; taunts his own party

Almost two months after poll debacle in Bihar, Congress' allies are still targeting the party and are openly calling out the party for its leadership crisis. On Friday, senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary on Friday called Rahul Gandhi a "reluctant and uninspiring" leader and urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to overcome "putra moh" (weakness for her son) in deciding her political successor. Tiwary, made the explosive statement with the remark that he was aware that he could "irk the leadership of the very party of which I am at present a member".

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"But, I have reached a stage where I do not always care about party diktats and choose to speak my mind.....Sonia Gandhi is going to hold an important meeting tomorrow. I wonder if it is going to yield any result," the former Bihar minister and ex-Rajya Sabha member said in his statement.

"Even a tall leader like Sharad Pawar severed his ties on the issue of foreign origin. But Sonia took it all in her stride. Today, however, she appears to be dragging herself....managing the party affairs despite poor health. The choice before Sonia Gandhi today is not between her son and the party but her son and democracy itself. The Congress, which even now is more potent than any regional party, is capable of taking on a hegemonic BJP. "But Rahul Gandhi has always come across as an anichhuk (reluctant) leader. He simply cannot inspire his supporters," he added.

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In Bihar elections, the RJD emerged as the single largest party and the Left, registered a stunning strike rate, but the Congress came to be seen as the weak link, having won less than 20 seats despite contesting in 70. Tiwary had, soon after the results were out, lambasted Rahul Gandhi for taking time off for just about six rallies in contrast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who addressed a dozen. He was also critical of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who was named as one of the star campaigners for the polls but never visited the state during the elections.

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Congress election in January?

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is set to meet face-to-face this weekend some of the "letter writers" who had written to her seeking an overhaul of the party organisation. Sources said Gandhi has fixed a series of meetings on December 19 and 20 with Congress leaders to decide on key issues concerning the party. These include the party's strategy on the government not convening the winter session of Parliament, finalising alliances and its strategy in the poll-bound states of Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the farmers' agitation and the holding of the organisational elections.

During these deliberations over the weekend, she will also meet some of the prominent members of the "letter-writers' group", who had written to her demanding an overhaul of the party.  Among them are Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and the deputy leader of the party in the Upper House, Anand Sharma. There are talks that the Congress is likely to hold the AICC session in January to elect a new president, for which the party leadership will discuss and chalk out the plans.

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