Congress leaders lobby fiercely for media cell Chairman position

NEW DELHI: Fierce lobbying is on among Congress functionaries to become the chairman of the AICC Communication Department, a post that coordinates the party’s official interactions with the media. The post fell vacant after Ajay Maken was appointed Delhi PCC president.

Party sources said Rajya Sabha MPs Jairam Ramesh, Renuka Chowdhury, former Union minister Salman Khurshid and recently-retired Punjab governor Shivraj Patil have throw their hats into the ring even though the leadership is still looking at all options.

Though Ramesh, a former Union minister and Rajya Sabha MP, had delicately 'slipped' within the Team Rahul post-Congress defeat, he is trying to revive his standing by making himself conspicuously active on Congress’ antiland acquisition bill agitation. Renuka Chowdhury, another RS MP and an ex-AICC spokesperson, had scripted a successful career in the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress despite being a former TDP Rajya Sabha ‘shouting brigade’ member against prime minister Rajiv Gandhi during the Bofors controversy.

Congress circles said that both Ramesh and Renuka are lobbying with the same people – a key AICC functionary and a senior party general secretary.

After his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, Khursheed combines his lawyer’s career with being an AICC spokesperson. Patil, aformer AICC media cell chairperson, is looking for political re-habilitation after the NDA regime allowed him to complete his gubernatorial tenure.

Currently, AICC media department has Abhishek Singhvi as its vice-chairman and Shakheel Ahmed, Randeep Singh Surjewalla among spokespersons and Anand Sharma, P Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad as senior spokespersons.