'Didn't see his face in Bihar': Adhir Chowdhury tears into Kapil Sibal over Cong criticism

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury- the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha on Tuesday lashed out at Kapil Sibal for his criticism of the Congress party's functioning. Mocking the Rajya Sabha MP's call for introspection, he pointed out that Sibal had not bothered to personally campaign for Congress in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly election and bypolls. According to Chowdhury, Sibal could have proved his point only if he had worked hard to strengthen the party in the poll-bound states. Stressing that mere talk will not result in anything meaningful, the Congress leader advised Sibal to first work and then offer his opinion. 

Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury remarked, "The person you are talking about- Kapil Sibal spoke about this even earlier. He says that he cares a lot about the Congress party and that there should be introspection. But we didn't see his face in the Bihar polls, Madhya Pradesh polls, Uttar Pradesh polls, or the Gujarat polls. If Kapil Sibal would have gone to Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, he could have proved that 'what I am saying is true'. Introspection is necessary because I, Kapil Sibal, strengthened the position of Congress in Bihar. Mere talk will achieve nothing. Speak after you do some work. Speaking without doing anything does not mean introspection. My advice to such big leaders is that first work and then speak."

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Kapil Sibal's dissent after Bihar debacle

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."

Read: Amid Congress Infighting, Salman Khurshid Warns Critics 'there's No Short Cut To Power'

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."

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