Open rebellion? Jairam Ramesh demands Congress fight PFI communalism, 'just like RSS'

Speaking at a book fest in Kochi on Thursday, former Union Minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh have linked the communalism of PFI to "communalism of RSS." He said that he is worried about propaganda that Congress is soft on minority communalism. 

"The Congress party should discover the same degree of aggression against minority communalism and outfits like PFI. They should we targeted the same way as we target RSS. We have to fight RSS type of communalism, BJP type of communalism as also PFI and Jamaat-e-Islami type of communalism. We cannot have selective, we have to be upfront, bold, and say minority communalism is dangerous to India as majority communalism," Ramesh said to news agency PTI at Krithi International Book Fair in Kochi. 

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The Congress leader then added that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru also took "uncompromising stand" against all forms of communalism. He added:  "We have to be very clear. We should not be pandering to any religious sentiment of anybody and that is real secularism."

Congress should ruthlessly reinvent itself: Jairam Ramesh

'Congress has to reinvent itself'

In an interview to PTI, Ramesh said: "Congress leaders have to reinvent themselves. Congress party has to reinvent itself if it has to be relevant. Otherwise, we are staring at irrelevance. Our arrogance has to go, even after six years out of power sometimes, some of us behave as if we are still ministers," he said. Asked about the leadership issue in the party, he said local level leaders have to be encouraged and nurtured. They have to be given freedom and autonomy, he added.

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