Is the ‘PA culture’ in Congress still radiant as before?

New Delhi: While cutting off his age-old ties with the grand old party Congress, Ghulam Nabi Azad wrote a five page letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi wherein he even accused Rahul Gandhi of working on suggestions of his PA and security officers. Although Azad did not name any PA, senior journalists covering Congress for several years also do not know any such ‘powerful PA’, on whose recommendation Rahul would make appointments or take decisions. But the time that Azad has referred to as the ‘Golden Age of Congress’ and has said that Rahul has ended the tradition of discussion or seeking suggestions from senior leaders, actually it was in those times, when Congress Presidents’ PA would be all powerful and decisions were taken on their recommendations.

RK Dhawan was inducted in Indira Gandhi’s office to the post of typist cum PA. Even though he was a PA, but he held control that without his will, even chief ministers could not meen Indira. Perhaps Azad could have thrown some light on how many times he warmed up to Dhawan to meet Indira. In Rajiv and Sonia’s time too, V George used to work as PA, but everyone from those times knows that it is George who had a grander political stature than Azad. George could even get state presidents and other AICC leaders appointed. So it is obvious that Azad must have also tried to be in George’s good books. However, today, there is no powerful PA like Dhawan or George.