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Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers for the election to the post of Congress president on Monday, 4 December. He was accompanied by a host of senior party leaders, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh.
Gandhi has emerged the lone candidate in the fray, and decks have been cleared for him to succeed his mother, who has headed the Congress party for 19 consecutive years.
Returning Officer, M Ramachandran said:
The Congress on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he is suffering from a "Rahul Gandhi-phobia" and asked why he was silent on questions being raised by his own senior party leaders.
"Why is the Prime Minister suffering from Rahul Gandhi phobia? Why is he so much stressed?" Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here ahead of party Vice President Rahul Gandhi's filing of nomination for its presidential post.
He also said that Modi's "love for Shehzad (Poonawalla), Shahzada (BJP chief Amit Shah's son Jai Shah) and Shourya (National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's son)" is well known to the world.
"But will Modiji tell when he will answer the questions of his own senior party leaders like Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha?" he asked.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah welcomed Rahul Gandhi’s coronation.
Hitting out at the BJP for likening the Congress presidential elections to Mughal rule, party senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said that the election was a completely democratic process.
He also slammed Modi for dubbing the election ‘Aurangzeb Raj’, calling him a ‘showman’ in turn.
Speaking to ANI on Rahul Gandhi’s nomination as Congress Party President, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the opposition a burden on the nation.
Calling Rahul Gandhi the ‘owner’ of the Congress Party, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan alleged that that the party lacked democracy, and they were being forced to make an arrangement due to the EC regulations.
Assan Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma took a dig at Rahul, saying he will be remembered as a “failed dynast”.
Addressing a rally in Gujarat’s Dharampur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Rahul Gandhi’s nomination for the post of Congress president an indication of ‘Aurangzeb Raj’.
Adding that the Congress could never ‘tolerate’ leaders from Gujarat, PM Modi said that his party would work towards the well being of the people. The 125 crore Indians are our high command, he said.
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi on his unopposed nomination to the post of Congress president, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that such an election was only possible in a feudal setup.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having criticised the Congress’ party elections, based on Poonawalla’s allegations.
Speaking to ANI, disgruntled Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla said there was a possibility of a ‘dummy’ candidate taking part in the party’s internal elections for the post of president.
He added that despite having served the Congress for 10 years and his criticism of the party having earned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s praise, it had led to him being called a “BJP agent.”
Poonawalla said that Gandhi’s candidature was not a nomination but a “coronation.” He had earlier alleged that the elections were “rigged” in Gandhi’s favour.
Senior party leaders, including Kamal Nath, Sheila Dikshit, Motilal Vora and Tarun Gogoi, filed the first set of nominations (as proposers) for Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers in the presence of Manmohan Singh, Sheila Dikshit, and other prominent leaders.
Rahul Gandhi reaches the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi ahead of filing nomination for post of Congress president.
Congress workers and leaders enter the party headquarters in New Delhi ahead of Rahul Gandhi filing nomination for the post of Congress president.
Rahul Gandhi visited former prime minister Manmohan Singh's residence ahead of filing nomination for post of Congress president. He also visited former president Pranab Mukherjee.
Accompanied by his mother Sonia Gandhi, Singh and other senior Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination papers for the election to the top Congress post on 4 December, the last date for filing of nominations.
According to party sources, there were apprehensions among the party leaders earlier over the incumbent president being among the proposers to Rahul Gandhi's candidature.
The sources said that Sonia Gandhi will be the first proposer in one of the four nominations Rahul Gandhi will file.
The former prime minister will be the lead proposer in another set of nomination form.
There are going to be over 75 nomination forms in favour of Rahul Gandhi that will be filed tomorrow, the sources said.
Labelling the Congress’ presidential elections ‘rigged’, the secretary of the party’s Maharashtra unit Shehzad Poonawalla on 29 November demanded that Rahul Gandhi first resign from his post before contesting for the top post.
Poonawalla added that he would also contest the election if it were conducted in a ‘genuine’ manner.
Calling the election a ‘selection’ rather than a democratic process, Poonawalla expressed his interest in contesting the elections, subject to some conditions, which included ‘genuine’ elections and Rahul’s resignation from his post of Congress vice president.
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Published: 04 Dec 2017,08:51 AM IST