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The debate between the Congress party’s old guard and its young Turks has been simmering for years, particularly in the wake of the party’s repeated electoral setbacks
The Gandhi scion also said that the hands of Congress workers are tied because their voices are not heard in the organisation while calling for reforms in the party. (PTI file)
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has said that the Congress party must learn to differentiate between its leaders, likening them to a racehorse, a wedding horse, and a lame horse to illustrate the contrast in capabilities.
In his speech, the former Congress chief also took a swipe at the party’s old guard — referring to senior, long-time leaders who have held key positions in the party and government over the decades — and called for the need to “retire lame horses.” Former chief minister Kamal Nath, a long-time loyalist to the Gandhi family, was present at the Congress Workers Convention in Bhopal where Rahul Gandhi delivered the speech.
The Gandhi scion also said that the hands of Congress workers are tied because their voices are not heard in the organisation while calling for reforms in the party.
“I will talk about Madhya Pradesh now. In this state, there is no dearth of workers and leaders of Congress ideology. In this room, there is talent to defeat the BJP. But your hands are tied because your voice is not heard in Congress organisation. Our sena is already to fight but there are 2-3 people who give ulta-seedhe statements. Now there are some people who give into frustration and some those who work for BJP. We have to start from somewhere. The CWC has decided to start with a district president post and from this change, we will strengthen the party in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and other states,” he said.
Gandhi said that the party sometimes sends a racehorse to the wedding procession and sometimes makes the wedding horse stand in the raceline.
“The district president has come here, and there will be some of you who work for the Congress party with full strength and there will be some who are a little tired or who are not in a good mood, who are taking too much tension. Now we have to differentiate between a racehorse and a wedding horse. Earlier, I used to say that there are two types. Kamal Nath had said that the Congress party sometimes sends a racehorse to the wedding procession and sometimes makes the wedding horse stand in the race line. But there is a third category, which is a lame (langda) horse, so we have to differentiate. We have to retire the lame horse, so this change has to be brought…,” he added.
#WATCH | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, “…Now we have to differentiate between a race horse and a wedding horse and lame (langda) horse.”“…The district president has come here, and there will be some of you who work for the… pic.twitter.com/t5hr3mswCs
— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2025
BJP Reacts To Rahul Gandhi’s Remark
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s remark, Haryana Minister and BJP leader Anil Vij asked which kind of horse the Congress leader considers himself to be.
“If Rahul Gandhi calls all his workers horses, having different varieties, including procession, race, and battle, then tell him his quality. Which horse is he? Does he belong to the procession horses, lame horses, or war horses?” he asked.
Madhya Pradesh BJP President and party MP VD Sharma took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, saying he doesn’t even know how to ride a horse. “He should first worry about managing his own party’s ‘horses’ before making such remarks,” he said.
“How did the discussion of horses come up in the meeting of donkeys? Rahul Gandhi should tell who is a racehorse and who is a wedding horse in Congress. The people of Madhya Pradesh want to know,” he added.
MP Minister Rakesh Singh said, “What expectations can one have from Rahul Gandhi when even his own party has given up on him? He calls his own senior leaders ‘lame horses’ and gives them all sorts of labels. Ask those who have devoted their entire lives to Congress.”
Old Guard Vs Young Turks: Power Struggle Within Congress
The debate between the Congress party’s old guard and its young Turks has been simmering for years, particularly in the wake of the party’s repeated electoral setbacks. After the humiliating defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, multiple reports suggested that Rahul Gandhi wanted to sideline the old guard to make way for younger leadership.
However, in practice, the old guard continues to be the party’s default leadership. A classic example was seen in Rajasthan, where the Congress leadership considered veteran Ashok Gehlot for the party president’s post. In response, Gehlot orchestrated a show of strength by parading loyal MLAs, effectively blocking his rival Sachin Pilot from ascending to the role.
A similar dynamic played out in Karnataka. Despite D.K. Shivakumar’s key role in securing the Congress victory in the state, he was made to settle for the Deputy Chief Minister’s post, while veteran leader Siddaramaiah was chosen as Chief Minister. These instances highlight the continuing grip of the old guard within the party, even as calls for generational change persist.
(With inputs from ANI, IANS)
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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