Sonia Gandhi to host lunch for Cong MPs on Thursday
June 03, 2014  20:44
Anita Katyal reports:    

With the Congress recording its lowest tally in the Lok Sabha, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is hosting a special lunch for all party MPs on June 5 in an effort to boost their sagging morale.     

The lunch is being held at the Parliament Annexe and will be attended by the party's Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs. 

In the past, the Congress president would often invite party MPs for a meal at the end of a Parliament session. She has made an exception this time and will host them at the beginning of the session, probably to prep up the demoralised members to play the role of an effective opposition, even though they are hopelessly outnumbered by the ruling alliance.   

The newly-elected MPs are further feeling let down after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi refused  to lead the  Parliamentary Party  in the Lok Sabha. Former railway minister and senior Karnataka MP Mallikarjuna Kharge was named party leader on Monday.   

A section in the party, especially the younger MPs, wanted Rahul Gandhi to take this position and lead the opposition attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government. On the other hand, the Congress old guard was keen on Sonia Gandhi shouldering this responsibility.   

Kharge's appointment has not particularly enthused the MPs, who believe he would not be able to put up a good fight against the Modi government. Moreover, they would have liked the party to project a younger face who would appeal to Young India.   

Instead, both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi decided to play it safe. Had either of them been at the forefront, the ruling alliance would have focused their attack on the mother-son duo        
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