New Delhi: Under attack from the young brigade of AICC secretaries for his remarks on Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh Thursday made a strong pitch for “generational change”.
“I support the demand of Secretaries of AICC. Generational change must happen. It has been a pleasure working with my secretaries in the AICC,” Singh said in remarks that appeared to suggest he was ready to make way for the younger lot to come up in the party.
“Thank God younger generation of Congress now demanding generational change which I have been suggesting since (the) Burari AICC (session) in 2009 December,” Singh posted on Twitter.
The remarks are significant as a number of senior AICC functionaries has either crossed 70 years or approaching it. Party treasurer Motilal Vora is 85, Ambika Sonia 71, Madhusudan Mistry 69, Digvijay Singh 67, Ghulam Nabi Azad 65, C P Joshi 64 and Mohan Prakash 64.
Besides, A K Antony is 73 years old, P Chidambaram is 68 and Sheila Dikshit is 76.
The All India Congress Committee has already distanced itself from party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi's remarks that leaders of 65 to 70 years of age should not take up active posts in the organisation, but senior party leaders speaking on the condition of anonymity have been maintaining that a change is inevitable in the party.
Singh, who has generally been at odds with Dwivedi, had supported him on the issue recalling that he had favoured a generational change in the party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and had said that it should happen at every level from top to bottom.
“I am in favour of it. It is high time for major changes in the organisational structure,” Singh had said a few days ago.
AICC has also distanced itself from Singh's remarks that Gandhi's silence on critical issues had contributed to their loss in the “war of perception”. He had said the party vice-president should be “more visible and heard more” to bring the Congress back on the path of revival.
