Amid criticism of senior congressional officials from some leaders following a poor result in Bihar polls, senior leader Salman Khurshid said Sunday that there is no leadership crisis in the party and that full support for Sonia and Rahul Gandhi it is “evident to all. that he is not blind”.
Khurshid, who is among the leaders considered close to the Gandhi family, also said there are enough forums in Congress to air views and do so outside the party “it hurts,” comments that come days after leader Kapil Sibal and some others left. public with its criticism of the party leadership.
“The management listens to me, I am given an opportunity, they (those who criticize in the media) have a chance, where is this coming from that the management is not listening,” Khurshid told PTI in an interview.
When asked about comments by Sibal and another high-ranking leader, P Chidambaram, on the poor performance of Congress in the Bihar elections and recent by-elections, he said that he cannot disagree with what they have said, but He asked why someone has to go out and tell the media and the world that “we have to do this.”
“The analysis is done all the time, there are no disputes about the analysis. It will be done. The leadership, of which all these people are a part, will properly analyze what could have gone wrong, how we could have improved and that will happen in the normal course , we don’t need to talk about it in public, “said Khurshid, a standing guest on the Congressional Working Committee (CWC).
His comments come days after Sibal’s public criticism of the congressional leadership and his statement that the time for introspection was over and people no longer saw the party as an effective alternative.
When asked about some leaders calling for a full-time president, he said they should come forward and talk about it within the party.
“See our leader and tell him it doesn’t look good without a tag, the leader will take a call,” Khurshid said.
Attacking concerns that Sonia Gandhi has been interim chief for more than a year, he asked who decides that a year is too long to have an interim chief and asserted that if the process of electing a new president is taking time, there must be a good reason for it.
“No one has left, they are all here. The only insistence is on a label, why do you insist on a label? There is no president in the Bahujan Samaj Party, there is no president in the left parties, only general secretaries … Not all parties can follow the same model, “he said.
The party has a president in Sonia Gandhi, although interim, which is not outside the Constitution, is not unreasonable and is not something that the party “cannot survive with,” Khurshid said.
“We are happy, we are working with that. There is no leadership crisis, I say it with great emphasis,” he said.
The electoral committee is working on the election of the president, which is taking time due to COVID, he said, adding that all work and preparations are underway.
When asked if everyone in Congress strongly supports Rahul Gandhi as their leader, Khurshid said: “I think it is evident to anyone who is not blind, that the people fully support Congress President Sonia ji and Mr. Rahul. Gandhi, who is our former president. Everyone supports them. “
“Those who question (the leadership), if they claim to be Democrats, should have the courtesy to include us who do not question (the leadership) and within the party we can decide whether there are more or we are more. Our whole objection is that this happens outside the party, “he said.
On whether there are forums available in the party where leaders can voice their concerns, Khurshid said: “Of course. How did (those who say there is no forum to express opinions) become MPs? Everyone who is speaking, no they are deputies. That must have been done somewhere in the party, not on the streets. “
There is a reasonable amount of exchange of views in the party, said Khurshid, who was appointed last week as the coordinator of the party’s foreign affairs committee.
Interestingly, among the nominees on the party’s committees on economic affairs, foreign affairs, and national security were top party leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Veerappa Moily, and Shashi Tharoor, who were among the 23 letter writers who they were looking for an organizational review of Congress.
On his recent assertion that if the mood of the electorate is resistant to the liberal values the party has embraced, it should be prepared for a long struggle rather than looking for shortcuts, Khurshid said what he meant by shortcut is that one abandon your ideology. .
“Why should you give up your ideology? If your ideology doesn’t persuade the voter to go with you, you should close the office or wait. We persuade the voter, it will take time,” he said.
“Why are we so worried that we have lost power and therefore must return to power in weeks or months or years, etc. If it doesn’t happen for a while, we’ll keep working? Politics is about passion for a cause, politics is not about a prequalification for power. We must pursue our cause and we will pursue our cause, “said Khurshid.
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