Shivraj Singh Chouhan attacks Congress, says party not ready to listen to truth

Attacking the Congress over bickering on leadership issue, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the Sonia Gandhi-led party will not be able to save itself now as whosoever raises voice against the family will be shown the door.

Chouhan's attack on the Congress came in the backdrop of a raging debate on leadership in the national party triggered by a letter written to Sonia Gandhi by more than 20 leaders demanding an "active, full-time and visible" president.

This is a party which is not ready to listen to truth, which terms persons speaking truth as traitors, which terms those indulging in sycophancy as loyal...no one can save such a party, Chouhan told reporters in Gwalior.

On one hand there is BJP where every three years the president gets changed and on the other is Congress where since 1998, maa-beta (a reference to Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul) are holding the post (of president)...And whenever anyone tries to raise voice against this encroachment, they are shown the door," he said.

"Nobody can save such a Congress, the BJP leader remarked and referred to a Hindi maxim, 'vinash kale vipreet buddhi' (when one's destruction time approaches, the persons intellect works against his/her best interest) to paint a grim picture of the Congress.

"It is heading towards destruction. If anyone speaks truth in the party, then it is alleged that they have colluded with the BJP," he said.

"Twenty-five leaders like Azad and Sibal (senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal) wrote a letter seeking a full-time president, but instead of pondering over it, their leader Yuvraj (Rahul) says that they have colluded with the BJP.

"When Scindia (BJP Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia) had raised his voice, it was alleged that time also that he was associated with the BJP, Chouhan said.

(Photo Credit: PTI)