Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary hit Kapil Sibal on Tuesday. (Archive)
New Delhi:
Those who criticize Congress can join another party or start a new one instead of engaging in “shameful activities,” a senior leader said today in the latest round of disputes over Kapil Sibal’s comments.
Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, the leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, also commented that “such leaders” were close to Gandhis – party chair Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – and were free to raise their problems with them.
“If some leaders think that Congress is not the right party for them, then they can form a new party or they can join any other party that they think is progressive and in line with their interests. But such shameful activities should not be allowed as it can erode the credibility of Congress, “Chaudhary told reporters in Bengal.
“These senior leaders should not allow themselves such shameful and radical statements. They enjoy the proximity to the Gandhi family. They can raise issues with the party leadership or in the forum of the right-wing party,” he added.
Chaudhary also asked where these leaders were during the Bihar elections. “If those leaders are serious about renewing the Congress party, then they should try to prove themselves on the ground. Did they volunteer to work for the party during the recent Bihar elections?” He asked.
On Monday, Kapil Sibal told the Indian Express in an interview that Congress was in decline, that the time for introspection was over and the party “must be brave and willing to acknowledge them.”
He said he was forced to raise issues in public as there was no forum in the party to express his views. “We have not yet heard from the Congress party their views on our recent performance in Bihar and in the by-elections. Maybe they think that everything is fine and that I should continue as usual,” Sibal said.
The comments have brought the unresolved leadership crisis of Congress back into the spotlight days after its dismal performance in the Bihar elections and by-elections across the country.
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