The Nehru-Gandhi family presided over India's destiny for 52 years, directly for 37 years (Jawaharlal Nehru - 1947-1964, Indira Gandhi 1966-77 and from 1980-84 and Rajiv Gandhi 1984-89) and indirectly for 17 years (Shastri 1964-66, Narasimha Rao 1991-96, Manmohan Singh 2004-2014). What distinguishes the last 10 years is that this political experimentation has brought India's oldest political party to the point of an unprecedented crisis. This is the second point of significance.
In an interview with Times Now, Rahul Gandhi said, ".....The issue is basically how the prime minister in this country is chosen. The way the prime minister is chosen in this country is through the MPs. Our system chooses MPs & MPs elect the prime minister (emphasis added). I said pretty clearly in my speech in the AICC that if the Congress party so chooses and the Congress party wants me to do anything for it, I am happy to do that. It's respect for the process. In fact announcing your PM prior to an election, announcing your PM without asking the members of parliament, is not actually written in the constitution....There is a process in the constitution and that process says, and it is clearly written in the constitution, and it says members of parliament are to be elected by the population and members of parliament are to elect the prime minister. (emphasis added) All I am doing is respecting that process...."
Is it not disingenuous to suggest that it is the Congress Parliamentary Party that elects its leader? Till such time as the amended Clause 5 and the new sub-clause C remain, it is the chairperson who will continue to nominate the leader of the CPP.
Ten years have lapsed since the CPP constitution was amended. Was it a case of fading memory, lack of homework or a combination of both that the Congress vice president claimed, both at the AICC and subsequently in a TV interview, that it is the MPs who elect the PM. Or, has the CPP constitution been amended again to restore the status quo ante, i.e. to restore the pre-May 2004 position?
In the interest of transparent and open political discourse, this would appear to call for a clarification.
