Congress’s critics are questioning the future of the grand old party amid Rahul Gandhi ’s absence during the crucial budget session. Congress leadersays in an interview tothat Rahul is all set to take charge of the Congress in its hour of gravest crisis.I wish I knew. Am sure he’ll come back and provide rejuvenated leadership.Yes it is a bit bad. All I know, he’ll come back, he’s determined to provide firm, decisive leadership the Congress needs at the moment of its gravest crisis. Am sure he will take over. He’s ready to take charge.AAP has hijacked the Congress. The AAP issues are the Congress issues. After all in Delhi, the BJP’s vote share didn’t fall. We lost 15 per cent of vote share because our voters voted en masse for the AAP.Cong is a blend of experienced and young. In state after state, we are doing well in local body elections in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh. Rahul Gandhi has definite ideas, he will be given a chance.2014 was not defeat but a cataclysmic electoral debacle. I was in a state of shock for 2 months.If we continue losing, yes. States that have been traditional citadels of Congress – Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi - we have our backs to the wall. It’s not a one-year or two-year task, it’s a 10-year task. Rahul Gandhi is well aware of this.Look Mrs Gandhi is 69, RG is 45. Naturally, there is a difference in the way people think. I am 61. The way Rahul has been educated, his age, yes there is a difference. But it’s not a clash. Right now, everybody in the Congress is yearning for change.This government is aggressive on solar energy. The emphasis on solar energy is good. But the TSR sub committee report which this government has accepted is a recipe for weakening the edifice of environment legislation, regulations and laws in name of easing business.Why should the government acquire land for private hospitals or private educational institutions? These are profit making bodies and they should go and buy the land. At its root, this is an ideological issue. Land is the only element of social security for millions of families. The government’s exercising of draconian powers on land goes against spirit of democracy.This government is more sensitive to think-tanks than to social movements; to government appointed commitees than to social activists and NGOs; to business than to voices of people affected. The manner in which Priya Pillai was offloaded… we should have self confidence, if people criticise us, we should mount a counter narrative. Why are we so afraid? The space for social activists, movements, people who are critical, an alternative point of view is shrinking. We may become what Fareed Zakaria coined - an illiberal democracy. We have elections et al, but the substance is authoritarian. As for Modi, it’s maximum arrogance minimum government.