Minutes after the Congress imposed gag orders on its leaders, who are not the authorised spokespersons, from making statements on behalf of the party on Monday, two of its senior leaders came out publicly announcing their intentions to defy the diktat.
Former Union Minister Manish Tewari and former spokesperson Rashid Alvi tweeted saying they will continue to put forward their views. Incidentally, sources said, the gag order was mainly targeted at Tewari, who was acting Chairman of the Media department till sometime back. As for Alvi, he was unceremoniously removed as spokesperson last year.
Reacting to the diktat, Tewari immediately tweeted “I ceased to be national spokesperson of the INC in October 2012. When I intervene in the public discourse I do so as an ordinary Congress worker who has served the party for 34 years. There are certain core convictions I believe in. When they are assaulted, I do not require a noun or a adjective behind my noun to intervene in the public discourse as a party activist I do not hold myself out as the spokesperson.”
Alvi said, “Congressmen should not fight and humiliate each other,” suggesting some sort of a rivalry among party leaders for media space. “This is a crucial time to fight with unity against forces spreading communalism and hatred all over the country,” he maintained.
His remarks came soon after the AICC Press conference addressed by party spokesperson and General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed was over in which he had said that there are 18 designated spokespersons in the party and that it is they who are authorized to give the official line of the party.
Interestingly, when Alvi was AICC spokesperson, Rahul Gandhi, soon after being made the vice-president of the party in Jaipur’s Chintan Shivir, had hailed him as one of the leaders along with then Delhi and Rajasthan Chief Ministers Sheila Dikshit and Ashok Gehlot, whose advice
he valued.
While Alvi was removed as spokesperson some time after a controversial remark at an AICC briefing and could not get a renomination in Rajya Sabha, Tewari is currently a television panelist of the party.
The party strictly instructed its leaders to not speak on party issues at various platforms until directed by the party’s decision making panel or those who are authorised- like the spokespersons, general secretaries and media panelists.
In the past few months and even before the lok Sabha elections, there were several instances when the Congress distanced itself from the statements issued by its party men at various forums and on many occasions. Not very long ago, differences emerged on the senior members’ view on age row and the Congress leadership.
Tewari’s backing of the appointment of former CJI P Sathasivam as Kerala Governor had come as a major embarrassment for the party that officially had slammed the NDA Government’s move to appoint P Sathasivam as the Governor.
Besides Tewari, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit too received flak last week from her own party when she said that the BJP should be given an opportunity to form Government as it will be good for the people of Delhi.
Putting out a list of the five senior spokespersons and 13 spokespersons on Twitter, AICC Communication Department Chairman Ajay Maken said, “Only the spokespersons as in the linked list are authorised to speak on behalf of the party.”
To questions about the position of AICC general secretaries as far as talking to media is concerned, Ahmed, who himself holds the post and looks after three states, said they can talk on issues related to their states.