Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday dismissed suggestions that the next party chief could be remote-controlled by the Gandhi family, asserting that both leaders in the fray Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are people of stature and understanding.
Addressing a press conference here during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said he is not alone in the yatra and lakhs of people have joined it as they are tired of unemployment, price rise and inequality.
Asked about criticism from certain quarters that the next Congress president could be remote-controlled by the Gandhi family, the former party chief said, “Both the people who are standing (in the polls) have a position, have a perspective and are people of stature and people of understanding. I don’t think either of them is going to be a remote control (chief) and frankly, this tone is insulting to both of them.”
Gandhi is undertaking Bharat Jodo Yatra which seeks to cover a distance of about 3,500 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on foot.
He said spreading hatred and violence is an anti-national act and “we’ll fight anybody who indulges in it”.
“We are opposing the new education policy as it’s distorting our history, traditions We want a decentralised education system,” he added.
Bharat Jodo Yatra is not for the 2024 elections and the Congress wants to unite people against the division of the country being carried out by the BJP-RSS, Gandhi said.
Tharoor dismisses talk of withdrawing from Cong prez poll race, says ‘it’s a fight to the finish’
Congress presidential polls candidate Shashi Tharoor on Saturday dismissed talk of him withdrawing from the election, asserting that he never backs down from a challenge and “it is a fight to the finish”. Tharoor, who has been aggressively campaigning in the polls, also asserted that it was a “friendly contest” within the party that was taking place and he is here to stay the course.
Tharoor is set to take on Mallikarjun Kharge in the polls.
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His remarks come on the last date for the withdrawal of nominations which is 8 October.
The polling will be held on October 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on 19 October and the results will be declared the same day and it will be the first time in more than 24 years that a non-Gandhi will occupy the top party post.
More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates will vote in the polls.
Meanwhile, voicing strong support for Shashi Tharoor in the Congress presidential poll, party MP Karti Chidambaram on Saturday said the former diplomat’s pragmatic modernism coupled with his appeal beyond the party is crucial to fight against the BJP’s “divisive politics”.
Thanks @kartipC! I am grateful to you & others among our elected representatives who are conscious of what the public wants from @incIndia. It’s time for change. #ThinkTomorrowThinkTharoor https://t.co/iQg77Mcubo
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 8, 2022
Chidambaram also asserted that business as usual will not help the Congress and there is an urgent need for reformist thinking in the party.
“Status quo and business as usual won’t help our party. There’s an urgent need for reformist thinking in our party,” said Chidambaram, who was among those who signed Tharoor’s nomination forms for the Congress presidential polls as proposers.
