Published 16:28 IST, August 27th 2020
Sena names & shames Cong dissenters, says 'they did more damage to party than Modi-Shah'
Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana said the letter written by 23 Congress leaders to interim President Sonia Gandhi has done more damage than Modi-Shah duo ever did
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The political turmoil and difference of opinions in the Congress party ahead of the CWC meet have made its ally Shiv Sena to make harsh comments on the deteriorating condition of the grand old party. Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamana said the letter written by 23 of the Congress leaders to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi has done more damage to the party than BJP or Modi-Shah duo could ever do.
The editorial questioned on the 23 dissenters' whereabouts when Rahul Gandhi was attacked by BJP leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The opinionated piece took a swipe on various prominent and senior Congress leaders including P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Prithviraj Chavan among others.
Names and shames Congress leaders
"Does any of these leaders have it in them to create a storm by disagreeing with the party? Those dissenters are well in their 70s but none of them has any prominence even in district level politics, let alone be state or national politics. Yet many of these political leaders went on to become chief ministers or union ministers with the support of Congress or Gandhi-Nehru family," the editorial read while lambasting the dissenters.
"P Chidambaram is a reputed lawyer but when did he become a politician? His differences with Rajiv Gandhi led him to quit Congress and formed his own party, but he had to shut his party due to no public support. There are other senior leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma who worked for the party, Kapil Sibal handled the party's legal affairs for years, but today they all have lost their spark towards the party. Ahmed Patel is a great manager and adviser but not a people's leader. Prithviraj Chavan requires the support of Sharad Pawar to win from Satara. All these leaders demanding Sonia Gandhi to bring in active leadership in the party is ludicrous," the opinionated piece said while seemingly forgetting the fact that even Shiv Sena couldn't have come to power without the support of NCP and Congress in Maharashtra.
"Rahul Gandhi was active and he took on the Modi-Shah duo. He travelled across the length and breadth of the country during assembly elections. Where were these letter warriors when there were below the belt attacks on Gandhi by BJP?" asked the editorial while backing Rahul Gandhi and condemning the dissenters.
"Rahul Gandhi quit from the post of the president seemingly because of these people who plotted against him," the Saamana piece alleged.
"When Sachin Pilot rebelled, Ashok Gehlot did all he could to save the government in Rajasthan, but he did it for his own chair. Scindia was given everything by Congress yet he left the party as Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh could not refrain from their malice towards Scindia. Ashok Gehlot tried to get his son to win from Jodhpur during Lok Sabha elections but failed miserably. Kamal Nath's son won in Madhya Pradesh but Congress lost. In these state-wise political situations, Congress chiefs and prominent leaders are only looking after their own selves. The party as a whole is never in their calculations," the editorial said while taking a swipe on the dissenters and favouring Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.
Congress Working Committee's meeting on Monday witnessed a high octane drama as Rahul Gandhi attacked the dissenters and alleged that they have colluded with BJP. For the time being, Sonia Gandhi continues to remain the interim Congress President for the next six months as there was no consensus in the CWC meeting on who should be the next Congress president. BJP, on the other hand, slammed the grand old party for still continuing to give the leadership in the hands of the Gandhis'.
16:28 IST, August 27th 2020