Congressmen are gradually getting used to the fact of the dual power centres in the party: 10 Janpath and 12 Tughlak Lane. While it is routine to see senior party leaders rushing to inner chambers saying “Yes, ma’am” on their phones, they are now often seen jumping on their seats saying “Yes, sir” and stomping out of public gaze and ears. AICC general secretaries and senior leaders in charge of different states now get calls from both places and often visit both places to discuss any developments and take instructions about future courses of action. Two AICC secretaries, Bhanwar Jitendra Singh and Meenakshi Natarajan, who were recently attached with Rahul Gandhi, general secretary in charge of Youth Congress and NSUI, now have unrestricted entry to the chambers of any general secretaries or leaders who otherwise don’t hide their displeasure if somebody barges into their chambers without their permission. But broach this subject, and the senior leaders brusquely brush you aside. “It is none of your business,” one of them tersely told some reporters recently.
