Bigger Role For Priyanka Gandhi? Congress Leader's Remarks Spark Buzz

NEW DELHI: In perhaps the strongest push yet for bringing Priyanka Gandhi to the forefront of the Congress, senior party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi has said that Rajiv Gandhi spoke to him about his daughter's political aptitude way back in 1990.

While promising to reveal details in due course, Dwivedi said, "As far as I know, her (Priyanka) interest in politics started at an early age. She was keen to understand political developments and the language of politics from the very start. I even have proof of this but I don't want to discuss it now. All I'll say is that Rajiv Gandhi told me something about this in 1990. That's all for the moment."

While there was complete silence from the party, the comment immediately led a group of Congress leaders to claim, off the record, that there were plans afoot to bring Priyanka into active politics.

The renewed speculation could unsettle the Congress since any talk of Priyanka's coming into politics undercuts Rahul's fledgling leadership. Dwivedi is seen to be representing a significant group in the top and middle rungs of the party management who would prefer 42-year-old Priyanka as political legatee of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty in place of her one-year-older brother.

His remarks are being seen in certain sections of the party as a vote of low-confidence in Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the Congress charge in a difficult national election. Rahul was elevated to the No 2 position in Congress last year but is still far from succeeding his mother Sonia Gandhi at the top. In the past few weeks, the much-discussed transformation of Congress in Rahul's image — the emergence of a Congress (R), as it were — appears to be have been put on hold as the party's primary focus has shifted to avoiding its lowest-ever tally (114 seats in 1999).

A section of the party has for some time been pushing for a larger role for Priyanka. But she has confined herself to managing the family fief of Rae Bareli and Amethi since her mother came into electoral politics in 1999; of late, though, she has been active in the planning of her brother's political affairs.

The invocation of Rajiv Gandhi's name by Dwivedi is being seen as significant. If the former PM did reveal details about Priyanka's interest in politics dating back to as early as 1990, it would appear that it developed at a very young age; she would have been about 18 at the time. Party veterans recall at least one interview that Rajiv gave in the late 1980s where he seemed to suggest that his daughter had a greater interest in politics than his son did.

Dwivedi has indirectly hinted that Rajiv did not speak about Rahul, raising the sensitive question as to whether the late leader had a different plan of succession in mind.

Congress leaders are now waiting for a second instalment from Dwivedi: the details of what Rajiv reportedly told him. Party sources say it may come if Congress performs dismally in the elections, which would be an opportune time for insiders to raise questions about the leadership skills of Rahul Gandhi.