Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In the latest series of ‘secret’ US diplomatic cables released by the whistle blower website WikiLeaks, it has been revealed that the US is dismissive of the young guns of the Congress party.
According to reports, the young turks, who belonging to Rahul Gandhi’s team may be suave, articulate or sophisticated, but they don’t have the USP to impress Americans, a confidential diplomatic cable said.
The cable sees them as “mere scions” of powerful political families.
"They could represent a continuation of the 'old guard' Indian political establishment rather than any substantive change," the cable is reported to have said.
To enumerate its point, the US cited the political lineage of Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Agatha Sangma, Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed, Meenakshi Natarajan and Ashok Tanwar.
"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. 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,” it is supposed to have said.
Another cable, however said, "Rahul's transition from privileged scion to key political player has been practically aided and abetted by his trusted team - a judicious mix of experienced Congress hands and young professionals".
In a separate cable, a US embassy official said that Rahul Gandhi tried to deflate criticism over only a handful of "youngsters" making it to the council of ministers.
"Rahul Gandhi was careful to note that younger members should not expect cabinet seats immediately. Responding to criticism that the first 19 members of the cabinet included no one under 55, Rahul said being a Lok Sabha member was a full- time job and that new members would be better off learning their jobs rather than setting their sights higher," the cable supposedly said.
First Published: Monday, September 05, 2011, 21:50