New Delhi: Despite the resolve at the recent AICC meeting here to overcome the recent Assembly poll debacle, where vice-president Rahul Gandhi delivered a passionate speech, the Congress’ “hard-nosed” Lok Sabha MPs are feeling pressed to seek exit from the party ahead of the polls later this year.
Keeping in view the wide perception that the Congress’ stock is down, sources said sitting MPs in states like MP, Rajasthan, UP, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are hunting for tickets from other parties, especially the AAP.
In UP, where the Congress won 22 Lok Sabha seats in 2009, as many as 12 MPs seen be considering to shift their political allegiance.
“Besides Soniaji, Rahulji and four ministers at the Centre, almost all the other MPs are looking for other options to contest the next election,” a senior leader said.
He added that at least in UP, the problem lies with the leadership as of “four Thakur MPs”, none has ever been considered for ministerial office; instead “two Kurmis (Benibabu and R.P.N. Singh) and two baniyas (Jaiyswalji and Pradeep Jain) were chosen”.
Next: Rahul Gandhi seeks PM's nod for granting of minority status to Jains
Rahul Gandhi seeks PM's nod for granting of minority status to Jains
New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday and requested him to grant minority status to the Jain community, Congress sources said here.
They said that the Congress Vice President spoke to Singh soon after a delegation of Jain leaders led by Union Minister Pradeep Jain had met him on Sunday to seek his support for the notification of Jains as a minority community at the national level.
Earlier, AICC had said in a release that Jain Samaj leaders had spoken to Rahul about their long-pending demand for minority status for the community and urged him to support their cause.
"Rahul recognised the role played by the Jain community in the social, cultural and economic development of the country. He assured the delegation that he would do his utmost to ensure fair and equitable recognition and representation for the Jain community," the release said.
The delegation told Rahul that awarding of national minority status would help the community access central funds meant for welfare programmes and scholarships for minorities.
