By Liz Mathew, IANS
New Delhi : Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Saturday told cheering delegates that the party needed to be “meritocratic”, but several party leaders voiced disappointment with a speech they had expected to be stirring.
Although the Talkatora Indoor Stadium was echoing with cries of “Rahul, Rahul” when he started his Hindi-cum-English speech, by the time his comments of barely 10 minutes ended there was widespread dismay despite the applause.
Addressing 3,000 All India Congress Committee delegates, he said the party should be relevant to “a broad range of young Indians” and become ‘meritocratic’ where progress is linked to performance and accountability.
For one seen by some as a future prime minister, Gandhi said: “If we are to truly become an organisation that represents the youth of our country, if we are to truly develop leaders of whom this nation can be proud, we need to do two things.
“The first is to build an organisation that is open and relevant to a broad range of Indians who believe in our values and seek to serve the nation.
“Young people bring tremendous promises and energy into our organisation. We must see that they are accountable and their progress is linked to performance.”
Rahul Gandhi, a first time MP, began his speech in Hindi but switched over to English saying he was doing so for the sake of “our south Indian friends”.
Stating that he did not distinguish people on the basis of religion, caste or class, he said: “If there is a difference, it is in terms of opportunities only. On the one hand we have people who have got opportunities to participate in the development of the nation.
“On the other hand there are those who have not been given the opportunity. This is the only difference. A rich man without opportunities is poor.”
As he spoke, his first major public performance after being made a general secretary in charge of the party’s youth wing, delegates lustily cheered him. Seen clapping were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had earlier made glowing references about him, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior ministers.
Once he finished, however, the hero of the session drew mostly negative reactions from party colleagues. Most complained that the speech was dull and uninspiring.
“I was completely disappointed,” was the stinging reaction of a former MP. “His speech did not have anything to encourage the youth, no plans, no programmes and no drive.”
Some Congress leaders told reporters that they failed to understand what the young Gandhi was trying to convey.
“I did not understand what he was saying. The speech was so uninspiring that it left me disappointed,” a Youth Congress activist said.
A delegate from Tamil Nadu said: “Everyone was expecting him to say something to inspire us. But he failed to do so.”
Another delegate found fault with Rahul Gandhi’s speechwriter. “Why can’t Sonia Gandhi’s speechwriter write speeches for Rahul also?”
Another delegate answered that: “Maybe Rahul did not want to overshadow his mother.”
His hardened loyalists defended Rahul.
“He spoke not only about his own party, he was talking about the youth and the poor in the country,” reasoned Jitin Prasada, a Lok Sabha MP from Shajahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.