Stormy Congress fight breaks out in virtual meeting; Manmohan Singh lambasted

Congress party’s top leership came to blows, albeit virtually, over a heated video-conferencing meeting that was held recently, as per highly-placed sources. virtual meeting was attended by Members of Parliament (MPs) of Congress party, and reportedly witnessed a dramatic fight wherein two sitting Congress MPs lambasted party’s senior national leership and, in particular, former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for dismal electoral performances of 2014 and 2019. 

'Manmohan Singh lambasted by Rahul camp'

Top sources told Republic World that Congressmen and Rajya Sabha MPs KC Venugopal and Rajiv Satav specifically spoke out aggressively against Manmohan Singh’s leership in UPA II. Both Venugopal and Satav are said to be in close circle of Rahul Gandhi. massive fight that erupted at virtual meeting could be part of overall soaring tensions between old guard and new guard of Congress party. 

Sources said that duo held dreful UPA government record, ineptitude in leership and failure in governance of Manmohan Singh accountable for present dim state of Congress party. Manmohan Singh was also attacked by duo and held responsible for flop show in consequent general elections in 2014 and 2019. What’s more is that comments were me in virtual presence of t only Manmohan Singh, but also UPA heavyweights Sonia Gandhi, Anand Sharma, P Chidambaram, AK Antony and Kapil Sibal.  

Controversy swballs onto social media 

In what seemed to be a fallout of battle at virtual meeting, Congress war soon spilt on to social media. outpouring of statements on Twitter from Congressmen, incubated with a divide within, seems to corroborate continued fragility and lack of cohesion of Congress party vis-a-vis its search for future leership and direction. 

Congress loyalists like Manish Tewari took to Twitter to make public dissonance within. “In @INCIndia unfortunately some ill -informed ‘s would rar take swipes at Dr. Manmohan Singh led UPA govt than fight NDA/BJP,” Tewari tweeted. 

Soon Tewari’s views against views of Venugopal and Satav were backed by or members of Congress leership including former UPA Minister Milind Deora who raised questions regarding attempt to taint Manmohan Singh’s legacy from within party. “Could he [Manmohan Singh] have ever imagined that some from his own party would dismiss his years of service to nation & seek to destroy his legacy - that, too, in his presence?”

Former UPA II Minister and Gandhi family loyalist Anand Sharma also took to social media expressing his disapproval of trend from within his party to pin blame on Manmohan Singh.  “Congressmen must be proud of UPA's legacy. party disowns or discredits its legacy. body expects BJP to be charitable and give us credit but our own should respect and t forget,” Sharma said as part of a trail of tweets. 

While huge war of words at meeting is being seen as a prolonged power tussle between Rahul Gandhi camp and Old Guard of Congress, fact of matter is that it comes at a time that party is being seen as unstable given that it was just last month that we saw stormy exit of Jyotiritya Scindia and Sachin Pilot from party- exits which were also stemmed from differences with top leership.