New Delhi: When Sonia Gandhi was at the helm of the Congress, one of the first things one noticed while walking into the party headquarters was the lock on the door of the president’s office.
A closer look at the lock revealed a date on it. That date, as per SPG protocol, was the last date when the office was opened. It would be updated each time the office was opened and locked — which wouldn’t be too often.
Sonia began her tenure as Congress president — the longest-serving in the party’s history — by occasionally visiting the Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road. These visits were soon far and few between as Congress leaders began queuing up at 10 Janpath, Sonia’s official residence, to meet her.
But the date on that lock will change more frequently now. Rahul Gandhi, who took over as Congress president in December, will meet party workers at the headquarters for two hours at least twice a week, beginning Wednesday.
Party insiders say the move is aimed at countering talk of Rahul being an inaccessible leader, a criticism often levelled at the Gandhi scion. A personal assistant to a close Rahul aide told this reporter that he once called up the Congress leader’s office to seek an appointment for his boss. Surprisingly, Rahul Gandhi’s office did not seem to recognise the close aide, who was also a minister in UPA-2.
Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who switched over to the BJP two years ago, had also famously remarked that Rahul devoted more time to “his dog than to party workers”.
Sources say that to counter this perception, Rahul will be spending more time at the AICC headquarters, interacting with leaders in the lawns like party veterans Ghulam Nabi Azad and Digvijaya Singh have been seen doing. He will also be addressing more press conference in the spruced up media room at the headuquarters.
Weighing in on the changes to come, a senior Congress leader says, “We would take it for granted that Indira Gandhi would meet us at the AICC. Good that Rahul is reviving this. Days of weekly darshans at their home are over. People want to see their netas come down to meet them.”
With the party’s performance in Gujarat and Rajasthan energising the Congress cadre, Rahul’s challenge now would be to ensure that his supporters remain with him. For that, he would have to walk the distance betweem 12 Tughlaq Lane and 24 Akbar Road.
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