Congress leader's letter exposes 'Team Rahul vs Team Priyanka' rift: BJP

In a post on X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla cited the letter and said the Congress's internal tensions were "out in the open now"

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized on a letter by Odisha Congress leader Mohammed Moquim to Sonia Gandhi, calling it proof of a widening divide between “Team Rahul” and “Team Priyanka”. Moquim urged a change in leadership as he argued that the party had lost its connection with young voters.

 

In a post on X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared screenshots of media reports and claimed that the party’s internal tensions were "out in the open now".

 

He said the letter brought the “Team Priyanka versus Team Rahul” debate into the open and showcased dissatisfaction with the current leadership within the party.

 

“Odisha leader Mohammed Moquim has questioned the leadership crisis nationally and called for deep structural, organisational and ideological renewal for the party’s revival,” Poonawalla wrote.

 

He also said Moquim had pointed to a “deep and growing disconnect” between Congress leaders and India’s youth under Mallikarjun Kharge, who is 83.

 

Moquim’s plea to ‘save’ Congress

 

In his five-page letter, which has since gone viral on social media, Moquim listed six concerns about what he described as the weakening state of the Congress in Odisha and across India. Addressing Sonia Gandhi, he said the party had drifted away from its cadre.

 

In the section titled ‘The Growing Distance Between Leadership and the Grassroots Workers’, Moquim wrote, “Madam, with a heavy heart, I submit that despite being an MLA, I was unable to meet Shri Rahul Gandhi ji for almost three years. This is not a personal grievance but a reflection of a wider emotional disconnect felt by workers across India.”

 

He also wrote, “Madam, India stands at a historic demographic juncture, with nearly 65% of its population below 35 years of age. The future of our nation and our party rests in the hands of the youth. Yet, today, there is a deep and growing disconnect between the Congress leadership and the Indian youth. With due respect, under the current leadership style, especially with Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji being 83 years old, the party is unable to resonate with India’s youth.”

 

Moquim went on to add that several young leaders, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jaiveer Shergill, Milind Deora and Himanta Biswa Sarma, left the party because they felt “unheard, overlooked and neglected”.

 

He argued that India’s young citizens sought “energy, innovation, accessible leadership, modern thinking and emotional connection”.

 

He further said, “Madam, with utmost humility, I firmly believe the nation and especially its youth are waiting for Smt. Priyanka Gandhi ji to take a central, visible and active leadership role. It is equally important that leaders like Shri Sachin Pilot, Shri D.K. Shivakumar, Shri A. Revanth Reddy and Dr. Shashi Tharoor form the core leadership.”

 

Ongoing talks of internal divisions within Congress

 

Discussions around a supposed divide between supporters of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have surfaced several times before. Both leaders have repeatedly expressed support for each other in public.

 

Rahul Gandhi serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, while Priyanka Gandhi is a General Secretary of the AICC and the MP from Wayanad.

 

Mallikarjun Kharge, who defeated Shashi Tharoor in the 2022 organisational election, became the first non-Gandhi president of the Congress in 24 years. The party has held formal internal elections for its top post only six times in its 137-year history.