Rahul must be made Cong chief, Sonia can become 'mentor': Aiyar

Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has strongly pitched for making Rahul Gandhi the party president at a time when questions are being raised over his leadership abilities after the UP poll drubbing.

He advocated a role of a mentor for party president Sonia Gandhi and asserted that the Congress has to move from being an inclusive party to setting up "an inclusive alliance".

Amid calls for radical changes by the Congres leaders following massive electoral defeats in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Aiyar told PTI, "I am hoping that the de facto leadership of the Congress which has been in his hands for some months, becomes a de jure leadership and that will enable him to carry out his intentions of democratising the party."

The 75-year-old Congress leader also hoped that Rahul's elevation should "happen soon." Rahul Gandhi's leadership has been under the scanner following the party's repeated losses in elections.

While Senior Congressman Digvijaya Singh had recently said Rahul was not acting decisively, Kerala Youth Congress Vice President C R Mahesh has asked Rahul to "quit", if he does not want to lead the party from the front. Senior party leaders like M Veerappa Moily and Satyavrat Chaturvedi have also pitched for initiating changes and "surgery" within the party to infuse fresh strength into it.