Amid tussle within Cong, Harish Rawat urges leaders to 'bolster courage' of party workers

Weighing in on the voices of dissent within Congress, former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat on Thursday opined that key leaders should bolster the courage of party workers. In a veiled dig at Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram, the senior Congress leader stressed that they should assist the Congress at a juncture when it is going through a crisis. According to him, party workers look up to senior leaders for inspiration.

He called upon the dissenting leaders to strengthen the party in the respective regions where they hail from. Speaking to the media, the former CM maintained that all leaders were accountable for the weakening of Congress in certain areas of the country. Dismissing the notion of a lack of introspection within Congress for the series of electoral losses, Rawat asserted that the party was proactively strengthening its organizational structure and playing an effective role as the opposition. 

Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat remarked, "I feel that big leaders should say big things. They should say things that bolster courage. The workers look up to them for inspiration. In a particular period, if the party is going on a downward trajectory, we need leaders at such a juncture to give support to the party and work to strengthen the party in the areas where they hail from."

Read: 'Which Gang Were You Then Part Of?' Sibal Asks Shah About PDP-BJP Alliance Amid Gupkar Row

Sibal & Chidambaram raise concerns

Sibal, one of the 23 senior Congress leaders who had expressed dissatisfaction with the party's leadership, again raised probing questions after the debacle in the Bihar Assembly election and the bypolls. In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express on Monday, he contended that the people of the country "don't consider Congress to be an effective alternative". The former Union Minister alleged that there was a reluctance to address issues within the party as the Congress Working Committee is a "nominated body".

Weighing in on Congress' lack of introspection, Sibal said, "If for six years the Congress has not introspected what hope do we have for introspection now? We know what is wrong with Congress. Organisationally, we know what is wrong. I think we have all the answers. The Congress party itself knows all the answers. But they are not willing to recognise those answers."

Indicating that Congress leadership is taking it "business as usual" despite the party managing to win only 19 out of the 70 seats in Bihar, the Rajya Sabha MP stressed, "The culture of nominations must go. Elections through nominations will not lead to the desired results. Some of us put our pen to paper and said what should be done in the Congress on the road ahead. Instead of listening to us, they turned their back on us. The results are for all to see."

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

Meanwhile, former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram too raised concerns about Congress' recent performance especially the by-election results of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka in an interview to Dainik Bhaskar. Observing that Congress contested more seats than its organizational strength in Bihar, he added that the party should have refused to fight in the 25 seats where BJP or its allies have been winning for nearly two decades. Chidambaram called for a comprehensive review of a downturn in Congress' electoral fortunes. 

Read: Bihar Congress Leaders Offer To Quit As Poll Loss Puts Spotlight Back On Leadership Crisis