US dismisses Congress young guns: In pics
WikiLeaks does it again. In a leaked US embassy cable, Americans wrote off the young Members of Parliament from the Congress party. They are all from Rahul Gandhi's team.
The young Lok Sabha MPs in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's United Progressive Alliance-II (UPA-II) don't have the USP that would make Uncle Sam dance around them. A secret cable, leaked online, sent after the 2009 general elections said the majority of young MPs in the Lok Sabha were mere scions of powerful political families. A look at the 'promising' youngsters of Rahul Gandhi's team.
Rahul Gandhi
The Gandhi scion has been known to usher in the youth revolution in the Congress party by handpicking young men and women for elections. Those who won have been given portfolios at the Centre.
As revealed by WikiLeaks, Rahul told a US embassy official that 79 of the new Lok Sabha's 543 members were under 40. But the US was not excited about this generational shift in Parliament.
Jyotiraditya Scindia
He is Member of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh and from the former royal family of Gwalior. He entered politics after his father, veteran Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia, died in a plane crash.
The WikiLeaks cables reveal that the US cited his political lineage, along with that of Sachin Pilot, Agatha Sangma to make its point. It said these three young ministers "owed their election and jobs to their parents".
Ashok Tanwar
He represents Haryana's Sirsa constituency. Part of Rahul Gandhi's handpicked team, he was appointed president of the Youth Congress in 2005. He was National Students' Union of India (NSUI) president earlier.
According to the leaked WikiLeaks cable: "Despite the clamour and excitement generated in the media by the young MPs, it is not clear if these new legislators will prove to be a formidable force in national politics."
Sachin Pilot
He is a two-time MP from Rajasthan's Ajmer constituency. He is the son of late Congress heavyweight Rajesh Pilot, who was killed in an accident.
The leaked cable continues: "...While the new crop of leaders may be modern in their outlook and western-educated, most of them were either handpicked by Rahul Gandhi or are relatives of successful politicians. In the end, these younger MPs may represent no significant change in the old guard of the political establishment."
Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed
He represents the sole seat from Lakshadweep and contested the seat after his father, ex-Union Power Minister P.M.Sayeed, died.
The leaked cable said at 26, the youngest voice among the "political rookies" was Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed and he too has politics in his blood. "He represents the sole seat from the island of Lakshadweep, which he contested after the death of his father, P.M. Sayeed, the former Union Power Minister.
Meenakshi Natarajan
She is an MP from Madhya Pradesh's Mandsour constituency. She was handpicked by Rahul Gandhi to serve as AICC secretary in 2008.
The cable, however, mentioned that MPs such as Meenakshi Natarajan and Ashok Tanwar had risen through the ranks from the ruling Congress's student wing. Simply put, these MPs were stewed over slow fire and had fought hard elections battles.
Agatha Sangma
She is the MP from Meghalaya and the youngest member in the council of ministers. Agatha is the daughter of NCP leader and former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma.
The youth wave in Parliament was more hype than substance, the US cable leaked to WikiLeaks added.
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