Amid Congress infighting, Salman Khurshid warns critics 'there's no short cut to power'

Amid the growing differences within the Congress party post its disappointing performance in the Bihar Assembly elections and state by-polls, senior party leader Salman Khurshid on Tuesday opposed his fellow party leaders seeking ‘introspection’ in within the party's leadership with a lengthy Facebook post.  

Quoting couplets of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor of India, Khurshid urged the internal critics to look within themselves for flaws and contended that they should be prepared for a long struggle rather than look for short cuts to regain power, or to air their grievances in public. He wrote:

“Being excluded from power is not to be casually embraced in public life but if it is the result of principled politics it should be accepted with honour… It is another matter that our principled politics requires periodic re-writing of strategy and logistics, but those cannot be done in the media for our adversaries to checkmate it promptly,” he said.

READ | Congress' Special Committee To Meet Amid Internal Storm & RJD's Criticism Over Bihar Loss

Salman Khurshid’s comments came in response to Kapil Sibal’s remarks on the “ineffectiveness of the party” after it failed to win enough seats in Bihar and help its ally RJD which performed admirably. In an interview with The Indian Express, Sibal had said that the people of the country don’t consider the "Congress as an effective alternative." He asked, “if for six years the Congress has not introspected, what hope do we have for introspection now?"

READ | Karti Echoes Father Chidambaram's Call To Introspect On Congress' Bihar Loss; Backs Sibal

Congress versus Congress

Kapil Sibal, one of the 23 Congress leaders who had earlier written a letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding reforms in the party, has sought a fresh review after its defeat in Bihar. However, he came under fire from fellow Congress leaders for discussing the party’s internal matters in public. From Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary, Congress leaders have targeted Sibal for seeking introspection in the party after its defeat.

READ | '6 Years No Introspection, What Hope Now?': Kapil Sibal Unsparing About Congress' Plight

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Congress Special Committee to assist interim President Sonia Gandhi has been called at 5 pm on Tuesday. The meeting of senior members is set to take place through video conferencing but its agenda is not clear. Several questions being raised about whether the meeting is with regards to the Congress infighting. 

READ | 'Hurt Sentiments Of Party Workers': Gehlot Attacks Sibal, Affirms Faith In Cong Leadership