New Delhi
After spending a year as Congress’ general secretary in-charge, communications, a lobby has emerged led by a leader in an election-bound state that seeks the removal of Jairam Ramesh from his prize portfolio. Sources suggest that the lobby is alleging that he was “heckling” Rahul Gandhi in press conferences during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and that this has sent a wrong message to the cadre. Such a view does not square with the immense publicity that the Yatra got.
The lobby gunning for Ramesh charges that he broke “political decorum”, which they claim to be a “deliberate attempt at dictating terms (to Rahul Gandhi) in public”. Those unhappy with the prominence given to Ramesh call him responsible for “amateur acts” and “unnecessary stunts”. Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s press conference which he had held after he was disqualified from Parliament, a senior party leader flagged Ramesh’s “deliberate attempt of tutoring and loudly correcting Rahul Gandhi with mics on”, in what he claimed was a bid to look like an “indispensable advisor, onscreen-and-offscreen”, to Rahul Gandhi.
An AICC insider part of the anti-Ramesh lobby said, “After he was made the communications in-charge of Congress, there was a sea change in his behaviour. Although there was a change in the party’s functioning of its media unit in a way that it started to be heard by the public, at the same time, he is not seen as someone who can smartly deal with media persons. He would most of the times be disrespectful.”
A Congress leaders referring to his home state of Karnataka said that Ramesh was isolated in Karnataka elections, as “many senior leaders were unhappy with his way of functioning” during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. They believe that the media office was being hijacked in a way that other Congressmen were being made to feel as “lesser” leaders.
A senior Congress leader said, “The way he used to stop Rahulji did not send a good message. It was the kind nature of Rahulji that kept his (Ramesh) face value intact (by not responding back and by not resisting him). Otherwise, many leaders have been sad by the way he heckled our leader (Rahul Gandhi). During the yatra.” When Ramesh would interject in Rahul’s speeches (which were addressed to media), there were, a source claimed, “many whispers within the party about his unprofessional behaviour in public, thereby leading to unending dissatisfaction among the top leaders”. “Ramesh’s intervention during Rahul’s speeches impacted the image of Ramesh who was, until then, considered as an educated politician and also the one who knows how to deal in public respectfully.”
The senior political commentator close to the faction against Ramesh said that the latter had “overplayed his hand at being heard. He thought saying things louder will make him assert his leadership and he will be able to portray himself as a bigger leader and amass more political capital. But politics is a game of patience and he failed at being patient. Ramesh seems to be running fast to elevate himself in Congress.” It remains to be seen whether the lobby will succeed in persuading AICC Ex- President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul to remove Jairam Ramesh from the charge of media and communications.