Sonia readies for UN trip, with Rahul in tow
Younger Gandhi's presence to be projected internationally.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: In his first foreign assignment after taking over as AICC general secretary, Rahul Gandhi will join Sonia Gandhi in representing the Indian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on October 2, when the international body will declare Mahatma Gandhi's birthday as World Non-violence Day.
Mr Gandhi and his mother will travel separately to New York this week to join the Indian delegation that will be led by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and comprising minister of state Anand Sharma and some others.
The UN body has adopted an Indian resolution, moved by Mr Sharma, to declare October 2 as International Non-violence Day as a tribute to the Satyagraha movement launched by the Father of the Nation. This follows the Congress and the UPA government's initiative to celebrate the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi launching the Satyagraha movement in South Africa.
Mr Gandhi's presence at the UN session will, in a way, be his international projection after his formal induction into the higher echelons of the Congress this week. Incidentally, this will not be the first time that Mr Gandhi is attending the UN Assembly session, as he was part of the Indian delegation of MPs last year, too.
Some reports have suggested that during her trip, Ms Gandhi may meet President Bush as well and it remains to be seen whether Mr Gandhi will also be present there. Ms Gandhi is slated to visit China soon after.
AICC media cell's new chief Veerappa Moily and spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, quite expectedly, continued to play up the appointment of Mr Gandhi and the GeNext brigade in the leadership as “the Congress party's commitment to provide larger role to the youth of India in public life and at leadership level”. They projected Mr Gandhi as "the hope and aspirations of the youth".
On whether the AICC reshuffle was a prelude to the Congress preparing for a snap poll, Mr Moily said the Congress naturally would be fully prepared to face an early election. About the appointment of BJP president Rajnath Singh's son as the president of the UP unit of the BJP youth wing, Ms Natarajan said the appointment of Singh junior cannot be compared to that of Mr Gandhi as the latter became the general secretary after “being an ordinary Congress member and after getting elected to the Lok Sabha”.
She said it is “an internal matter for the BJP to say” whether the appointment of Singh junior is a way of the saffron party trying to catch up with the Congress style or abandoning its anti-dynasty plank.
Mr Gandhi and his mother will travel separately to New York this week to join the Indian delegation that will be led by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and comprising minister of state Anand Sharma and some others.
The UN body has adopted an Indian resolution, moved by Mr Sharma, to declare October 2 as International Non-violence Day as a tribute to the Satyagraha movement launched by the Father of the Nation. This follows the Congress and the UPA government's initiative to celebrate the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi launching the Satyagraha movement in South Africa.
Mr Gandhi's presence at the UN session will, in a way, be his international projection after his formal induction into the higher echelons of the Congress this week. Incidentally, this will not be the first time that Mr Gandhi is attending the UN Assembly session, as he was part of the Indian delegation of MPs last year, too.
Some reports have suggested that during her trip, Ms Gandhi may meet President Bush as well and it remains to be seen whether Mr Gandhi will also be present there. Ms Gandhi is slated to visit China soon after.
AICC media cell's new chief Veerappa Moily and spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, quite expectedly, continued to play up the appointment of Mr Gandhi and the GeNext brigade in the leadership as “the Congress party's commitment to provide larger role to the youth of India in public life and at leadership level”. They projected Mr Gandhi as "the hope and aspirations of the youth".
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On whether the AICC reshuffle was a prelude to the Congress preparing for a snap poll, Mr Moily said the Congress naturally would be fully prepared to face an early election. About the appointment of BJP president Rajnath Singh's son as the president of the UP unit of the BJP youth wing, Ms Natarajan said the appointment of Singh junior cannot be compared to that of Mr Gandhi as the latter became the general secretary after “being an ordinary Congress member and after getting elected to the Lok Sabha”.
She said it is “an internal matter for the BJP to say” whether the appointment of Singh junior is a way of the saffron party trying to catch up with the Congress style or abandoning its anti-dynasty plank.
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