Cong on 'dinner camaraderie' spree

JAIPUR: Don’t be surprised if state Congress leaders dining out at each other’s residences quite frequently in the coming days, an idea mooted by AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, Gurudas Kammath to promote informal interaction among top leaders in the party. This frequent informal interaction is aimed at to foster comederire among leaders in the faction ridden Congress.Sources said former chief minister Ashok Gehlot had volunteered to host the first dinner at his residence.
The party in the state is divided in to at least three factions. One led by the former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, the second by his one-time protégé and now AICC general secretary Dr CP Joshi and the third by present party president Sachin Pilot. While Rahul Gandhi is planning a generation shift in the Congress, the old guard by Gehlot and CP Joshi are not ready to vacate their space. The Congress leadership knowing well that the biggest enemy of the Congress is the sulking Congressmen themselves, it wants to put the house in order before the next Assembly elections.
The sources said in the last state executive committee meeting Kammath floated the idea that the senior leaders will meet occasionally at the residences of leaders over dinner and to hold informal discussions. Only the selected leaders would be invited. These leaders include former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, PCC president Sachin Pilot, former PCC presidents Narayan Singh, Dr BD Kalla, Dr Girija Vyas, Dr CP Joshi, Dr Chandraban, and present and former Legislature party leaders. This compact group of leaders will decide the party strategy in the coming days.
The Congress leadership is quite upbeat after the success of the party in recent by-elections to the panchayats and local bodies. A Congress leader said, “The BJP which had promised more than it could deliver is on the defensive and a united fight could put the party in good stead. This dinner politics is part of the Congress leadership’s strategy to foster a sense of ‘collective leadership’ in the party which would satisfy their egos.”