Rahul may take over as Congress chief after Diwali: Pilot

October 01, 2017 17:00

Rahul Gandhi may take over as the Congress president shortly after Diwali, Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot said today, stressing that the time had come for the party vice president to lead from the front.

The Gandhi confidant also said the last names of leaders should not be treated as a disqualification in politics. It was the performance of a leader that ultimately decided his worth, as a surname could only take him so far, he said.

Pilot added that Gandhi's elevation had been in the pipeline for long.

Organisational elections of the Congress are underway and the new president could take over shortly after Diwali. It is something that has been in the pipeline for a long time," Pilot told PTI in an interview.

The Congress leader said the general sentiment in the party was that the time had come for Gandhi to take charge and lead from the front, while favouring a balanced approach of a mix of the young and the old in the party.

"To my mind, there is a general sentiment in the party that he should take over as the party president, Pilot said.

He pointed out that Gandhi had been handling "a lot of work" as the vice president but the party believed "this (Gandhis elevation) should happen in due course and the time has come for it to happen".

Asked if Gandhis sister Priyanka Vadra should also enter active politics, the former minister said, Though she belongs to the Congress party, whether she should join active politics or not is her personal decision".

On the issue of dynastic politics and accusations that the Congress promoted dynasties, Pilot said belonging to a political family might help someone initially but it could not guarantee progress unless backed by performance.

"Belonging to a family that has been in politics should not be treated as a disqualification," he said.

Ultimately, he said, success depended on performance.

"If you perform and win the hearts of people through work, delivery and performance, then it will decide. The mere last name will only take you so far, said Pilot, the son of late Union minister and Congress heavyweight Rajesh Pilot.

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