Congress plans to go slow on Rahul in UP

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After the Bihar debacle, a nervous Congress has now decided to “pull back a little” in Uttar Pradesh, particularly, when it comes to Mr Rahul Gandhi.
According to highly-placed sources, the party has decided not to make Mr Gandhi a “very visible face” in Uttar Pradesh so that he is not blamed if the party’s performance is not up to expectations in the UP elections. The party wants to “slow down” the Rahul factor after the manner in which he was blamed for the Bihar debacle.
While Mr Gandhi will continue to work for the party in Uttar Pradesh and will continue to have a say in party matters, he will not be at the forefront any longer.
“The ‘Mission 2012’ concept is a media creation. Mr Rahul Gandhi never proclaimed that he was working towards the 2012 elections, all he said was that he is working to strengthen the Congress in UP. We do not want everyone to pin the blame unfairly on his shoulders if the Congress does not live up to expectations in 2012,” said a senior AICC leader.
The Congress, according to sources, now plans to set up a team of four to five senior leaders who will spearhead the party’s campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and interact with party office-bearers and the media from time to time.
The Congress strategists are, perhaps, aware of the fact that the party’s graph in UP has gone down after the Ayodhya verdict which was “welcomed” by the state leadership in haste.
This angered the Muslim community which has, once again started rallying behind Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.
“We are aware of the ground realities but we are also working hard to regain lost ground and we hope to build up the party as a viable political alternative by the time elections are held. However, since we believe in collective responsibility, we will share the credit or the blame together instead of allowing everyone to target Mr Rahul Gandhi,” the leader added.
Party managers are also toying with the idea of projecting UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi as a chief ministerial candidate in order to attract women votes.
“She is known for her aggressive stand against the ruling BSP and can help us get the anti-incumbency vote in elections. However, the Congress culture does not permit us to project a chief ministerial candidate but this time we are trying to make an exception,” the leader added.