Though some sections of the mainstream media are swooning over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s unproven mettle, the Congress party including Rahul Gandhi have appeared to place low bets on her leadership abilities. After attaching Jyotiraditya Scindia with Priyanka Gandhi for UP, now the party has attached 6 new AICC secretaries to Scindia and Gandhi for managing the state.
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The 6 AICC secretaries are being divided into two teams- Scindia’s and Gandhi’s. Assigned under Jyotiraditya Scindia for UP West are Rana Goswami, Dhiraj Gurjar and Rohit Chaudhary, while Zubair Khan, Kumar Ashish and Bajirao Khade have been appointed as AICC secretaries for UP East and attached with Priyanka Gandhi.
Rana Goswami is from Assam and has past experience of working in Uttar Pradesh. Zubair Khan who hails from Rajasthan is a former MLA from state’s Ramgarh constituency also has worked in Uttar Pradesh as convener secretary in Bundelkhand region. Dhiraj Gurjar is another former MLA hailing from Rajasthan. Rohit Chaudhary has served as Chairman of the NSUI. Khade is currently working as Maharashtra state convener of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan (RGPRS).
Kumar Ashish, who has been elevated to the position of UP East AICC secretary under Priyanka Gandhi had worked as former chief of Bihar Congress committee. However, his name also cropped up in leaking question papers in Bihar in 2005. Ashish’s appointment, however, betrays that his previous criminal tendencies have either been ignored or not granted the required significance by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Notwithstanding the fact that the secretaries are appointed to shore up the declining fortunes of Congress in Uttar Pradesh, they might well be used as scapegoats in the event of party’s failure in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, thereby buffering dynasts JM Scindia and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s from being accountable for the defeat.