‘Won’t let you move around in state’: Congress minister warns dissenters
The letter by dissidents said that the party has witnessed a steady decline reflected in successive electoral verdicts in 2014 and 2019, noting that the reasons were manifold.
The party workers won’t allow them to move freely in the state if they do not apologise to the Gandhi family, Maharashtra Congress minister Sunil Kedar on Monday warned dissenters from the state - Mukul Wasnik, Prithviraj Chavan and Milind Deora - who questioned the Congress’ top leadership in a letter that has caused an upheaval within the party.
Kedar’s outburst is in response to a letter signed by 23 leaders in which they have suggested far-reaching changes, including dissolution of powers to state units and revamping the Congress Working Committe (CWC).
The letter stated that even after 14 months of the 2019 verdict, the Congress party has not undertaken “honest introspection” to analyse the reasons for its continued decline.
“I wholeheartedly support Hon. Sonia Gandhi ji as president. Its shameful on Mukul Wasnik, Prithviraj Chavhan and Milind Deora to raise questions on leadership of Gandhi family. These leaders must apologise for their act immediately. Otherwise Congress workers will see how they move in the state freely,” he said in a series of tweets.
“Congress can give fight to BJP govt only when party has Gandhi as its head. This is high time to stand firmly behind Sonia ji’s leadership,” he added.
The three leaders are yet to respond to the criticism made by Kedar, MLA from Nagpur district. He currently holds animal husbandry and dairy development portfolio in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government in which Congress is an ally along with Shiv Sena and NCP.
Meanwhile, Yashomati Thakur, another minister in the state government and one of the state working presidents of the party, said that Rahul Gandhi should again lead the party. “Gandhi is not a ‘Family’ it’s ‘DNA of India’. If Soniyaji has made up her mind then Rahulji should lead the party. India Needs Rahul ji,” she said in a tweet on Monday.
Vijay Wadettiwar, another minister in the state government, said they would quit state government the moment Rahul Gandhi will order them for the same. “The government wouldn’t have formed if Rahul ji didn’t approve of the coalition. Even today if he takes up the party chief position and decides to quit the government, then we will move out the very next moment. There is no question of staying in the state government if leadership takes a call,” he told reporters.
The 23 leaders, including former chief ministers, members of the party’s highest decision-making body, Congress Working Committee (CWC), and sitting members of Parliament, in the letter also said that over-centralisation of the organisation and micro-management has always proven to be counter-productive. They said that the party has witnessed a steady decline reflected in successive electoral verdicts in 2014 and 2019, noting that the reasons were manifold.
