Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that party leader Rahul Gandhi does not like backseat driving, adding that the former party chief’s “greatest value will be to play the role of an “ideological compass” for the party.
Speaking to PTI, Ramesh said that every party needs an ideological compass or a moral compass, and Gandhi is ideally suited for that role.
Citing thinker and philosopher Albert Camus to describe Gandhi’s leadership style, Ramesh said, “Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me.”
A week after Mallikarjun Kharge took charge of the party becoming the first non-Gandhi president in over 24 years, Ramesh said some people are calling Gandhi the elephant in the room but his response is that the former party chief is actually a “tiger on the road”.
Ramesh further said that the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra has been a “real booster dose” for the public relationship of the party and its “two Cs”- connectivity for Gandhi and collectivity for the organisation.
“The most tangible impact is on Congress organisation. Congress morale is now at extraordinary high levels. Whether this will translate into long lasting public support is now dependent on the organisation,” he said.
On being asked what role Gandhi would play after Kharge’s elevation as party chief, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said it is up to them to decide that.
On whether the party was on the path to revival on the road to 2024 general elections, Ramesh said, “I am not going to take a gigantic leap and say the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a metamorphosis for 2024, it is a long haul, we have very many deep challenges that we have to confront, it is an opportunity that has been opened.”
