Janardan Dwivedi raps Jairam for advice to take leaf from Kejriwal’s book
Differences have emerged at the highest level in the Congress over handling of the Aam Aadmi Party phenomenon. The division is so sharp that Union Minister Jairam Ramesh’s advocacy for the AAP style of functioning has invited an embittered response from party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi.
While Dwivedi is seen as the voice of 10 Janpath, Ramesh is known for his proximity to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who himself has pledged to take a cue from AAP’s success in Delhi after the Congress’ rout in the Assembly election.
Responding to Jairam’s praise for the AAP and his observation that the lokpal Bill and other anti-graft measures should have been legislated two years ago, Janardan Dwivedi on Thursday said party leaders should not make such statements “since it demoralises the cadre”.
“As far as the Congress is concerned, every single worker and leader is unhappy that such a situation (emergence of AAP) arose. He feels hurt. He is also angry,” Dwivedi said.
“There are thousands of genuine workers who toil hard for the party. Such remarks can only come from a person who is not a political worker and has got prominence in the party without undergoing the rigours. It may be the opinion of some persons. They may be over enthusiastic. But if you see minutely, only those persons have illusions, who themselves were not political workers, who did not suffer that pain. They do not know what pain one undergoes in forming a political party; how much struggle one has to undergo before he gets an identity,” Dwivedi added.
However, he clarified that his remarks were not directed at any individual and it was his general observation.
Congress chief strategist Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday had stated that the AAP was like ‘Dashavatar’ and in different States it can have different avatars. He also advised the political class not to make fun of the new outfit as they (political parties) would be proven wrong. Ramesh is a key man monitoring the party’s election War Room as part of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s core team.
Dwivedi dismissed the remarks of Ramesh who gave credit to Anna Hazare for the passage of the lokpal Bill and his claim that there would have been no AAP if the Bill was passed two years back.
“There were many obstacles for the delay that happened. I think keeping in mind the difficulties the Government faced, people should be content that the Bill was passed with the support of all parties. Even Anna Hazare and his team do not find any fault in the Bill. So saying all this is futile,” Dwivedi said.
Talking further on the AAP, Dwivedi felt that it would not be wise to come to any conclusion about the AAP currently, which has a limited presence in one State and that too on the issue of corruption. “This is an issue, which is like accepting that everyone should follow the right path, should not tell a lie, should not steal. Who can disagree with thatIJ...People felt that that while everybody says this, nobody does it. They (AAP) have raised a question on it and in response they have got the support,” Dwivedi said.