Sheila Dikshit's son Sandip attacks on 'elitist' culture in Congress

NEW DELHI: A day after AICC advertised Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s disproval of Sheila Dikshit’s public attack on Ajay Maken, her son Sandeep Dikshit launched a public attack on the entire leadership by calling it “elitist” and “arrogant”. He questioned the use of focusing too much on “organisational elections”, a pet theme of Rahul Gandhi.

The high command responded by demonstrating its rejection of Maken’s resignation from the post of general secretar, after the defeat in the Delhi assembly polls and fielded him at the AICC podium. Maken tactfully responded to the Dikshits by saying, “I would abide by Congress president’s direction to Congress functionaries” not to indulge in public bickering and would rather personally meet Shiela Dikshit to know what her grouse is.”

On his part, Rahul Gandhi told the core team that oversaw the Delhi polls – Ajay Maken, PC Chacko and Arvinder Lovely – “to stay focused on organisation-rebuilding, focusing on social segments that formed the party’s core base and to enhance the morale prestige of party workers”. Sandeep Dikshit, the former Lok Sabha member who did not campaign in the Delhi polls in which Maken led the party told media on Friday, “the culture (in Congress) has become elitist and arrogance grows from it. Our cadres are uncomfortable in such a situation”.

Then Dikshit – whose mother was allowed by the Congress high command to complete her third term as Delhi chief minister at the age of 75 despite demands for replacing her mid-way – launched a frontal attack on the entire leadership; “Fifty per cent of seniors in the Congress is deadwood and 70% in NSUI and Youth Congress,” said Sandeep Dikshit. Though the Dikshit Jr did not name anyone, his remarks about “elitist leadership” triggered speculation whether he had Rahul Gandhi in mind.