Congress leadership change at this juncture will delay party revival: Dikshit

New Delhi, April 17: Rahul Gandhi is back from his sabbatical. It is being said that Congress scion may act tough against those party leaders who raised question mark over his leadership. Yet there is no sign of restrain within party leaders.

Maintaining his earlier stand, former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit once again has supported Sonia Gandhi for top post. In a implicit message, Dikshit said that Sonia should remain in the party president post as change at this juncture could bring "friction" and delay the revival of an "electorally weakened party".

His remarks came hours after Rahul Gandhi returned from a 56-day long sabbatical amid talk of his possible elevation as Congress President in near future.

Hailing the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, he also downplayed the issue of age and said that what matters is "mental fitness" and "fitness of ideas".

"Currently, we need somebody with experience. Any new person would take time to take control of the party. A new person will have his own set of ideas. To implement them will take time," he said adding that it will lead to "friction" in the party in a gestation period.

"Presently when we are electorally weak, we need to re-energise, rebuild ourselves...it is best we re-energise ourselves, become electorally relevant," he said adding that the thought of bringing a new leadership can be considered at a time when the party feels it is on the regeneration path.

The Congress spokesperson said that bringing a new leadership as well as a new set of ideas will otherwise prolong the period of regeneration.

Dikshit said Sonia Gandhi is someone who connects to the issue and knows what particular gesture is required to be given in a particular situation.

Citing instances of two marches led by her to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence on the coal bloc allocation case and the opposition's march to President Pranab Mukherjee on the land acquisition bill issue, he said there was no sign of her being unfit.

Dikshit insisted that more than physical fitness "mental fitness is required, the fitness of ideas, what to give at a particular point of time."

OneIndia News

(With inputs from PTI)