The Congress on Monday sought to defend its vice-president Rahul Gandhi against the controversial comment of its own leader Digvijay Singh that he “does not have the temperament to rule” even as the BJP charged the Gandhi scion with “ruling without responsibility”.
Congress maintained that what Singh meant was that Rahul is someone who doesn’t run after power but wants to fight injustice. Party leader Anil Shastri, a Special Invitee to the Congress Working Committee, tweeted, “No party can ever win an election if its leader doesn’t want to rule. RG is intelligent & fully understands this. Congress will rule again.”
Shatsri said he firmly believed Rahul’s entire campaign was directed towards winning elections and thus, there is no question as to why he would not want to rule being in electoral politics.
The controversy erupted on Saturday following the airing of a television interview of Singh by a channel in Goa wherein he was shown as saying so and also that he felt Rahul should have taken up the post of leader of the Party in lok Sabha.
Another senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahamd said Rahul has all the “attributes” of a genuine leader and there is no confusion in the party over his leadership qualities. “Singh has clarified his remarks. All he meant was that Rahul was not hankering after power. We do not think it is a disqualification. In fact, we respect those who sacrifice. He has all the attributes of a genuine leader. He is our second biggest leader,” Ahmad said.
In another tweet over former Defence Minister’s Antony’s remarks on Congress’ secularism losing credibility, Shastri wondered, “In 2009, 12 out of 28 Muslims got elected from Congress but only one found place in UPA II Ministry & that too as MOS. Is this appeasementIJ”
He said there has been a full stop for Muslims as Chief Ministers for over three decades and reminded that all the four Muslim CMs - AR Antulay (Maharashtra), Barkatullah Khan (Rajasthan), Abdul Gaffoor (Bihar) and Syeda Anwara Taimur (Assam) were appointed by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He maintained there has been no appeasement of Muslims by the Congress. “Incidentally, Congress has not given even one Muslim CM after Indira Gandhi,” Shastri tweeted.
Asked about his reactions on Antony’s remarks, Ahmad said it was made in the context of Kerala where he was speaking and had no national dimension.
In a sharp attack, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain took a dig at Rahul justifying Singh’s remark and charged Congress’s ruling family with not taking responsibility while ruling the country.
“Digvijay Singh has said a correct thing that he (Rahul) is not Prime Minister material. He is talking about leader material. The country should know that he (Rahul) is not PM material,” said Hussain.
Hussain said that although Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had ruled the country, “now there is a new thinking in this (Nehru-Gandhi) family that they should discharge the role of a ruler without taking responsibility”.
He claimed that although Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had gone to the President in 2004 to stake claim to form the Government, “later on she, however, delegated the responsibility to Manmohan Singh. Be a ruler without taking responsibility and the same role has now come to the mind of Rahul Gandhi”.