The leader of the “G23”, Anand Sharma, who has openly questioned some of the decisions of the Congress, reacted on Tuesday strongly to the declarations of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary accusing him of “serving the agenda of the BJP”.
When asked about Adhir’s position, Sharma said: “I believe in civilized political dialogue.”
Anand Sharma is part of the group of 23 “dissident leaders” who had sent a letter to the head of the party, Sonia Gandhi, demanding organizational reform.
Sharma had attacked Adhir Chowdhary on Monday for the Bengal Congress’s association with the Indian Secular Front (ISF) led by Muslim cleric Abbas Siddiqui ahead of the next assembly elections.
Adhir reacted strongly to Sharma’s accusations. In a series of tweets titled “Know your facts, Anand Sharmaji,” Adhir accused the congressional leader of serving the polarizing agenda of the BJP.
Know your data @AnandSharmaINC -4. I would urge a select group of distinguished congressmen to always rise above … https://t.co/mwOjdLZjOW
– Adhir Chowdhury (@adhirrcinc) 1614621997000
Reacting to Adhir’s tweets, Anand Sharma said: “That is unfortunate. I believe in civilized political dialogue even if there are differences or ideological problems. I have noticed what Adhir babu said, but I cannot get personal.”
The leader of Congress defended his attacks on the party, saying: “What I have said is an expression of my concerns. I am not only firmly committed to the ideology of Congress, which is inclusive, democratic and secular, but also one of the historians and ideologue of the party and it must be taken in that context. ”
Sharma and other “dissident” leaders had recently shared the stage at an event in Jammu, where they questioned the congressional decision not to grant another term in Rajya Sabha to high-ranking leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
They also claimed that Congress had been weakened and spoke of these things for the welfare of the party.
Previously, Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal had opposed Rahul Gandhi’s comments by comparing the people of Kerala to voters in the north.
(With inputs from agencies)
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