Chandigarh Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday opposed the bid by some Congress leaders to challenge the Gandhi family leadership of the party.
In a statement here, Amarinder said this was not the time to raise such an issue, given the need for a strong opposition against the BJP-led NDA that was out to destroy the country’s Constitutional ethos and democratic principles. “The NDA’s success was attributable to the absence of a strong and united Opposition, and the move by these Congress leaders to demand an overhaul of the party at this critical juncture will be detrimental to its interests, and the interests of the nation. India is currently facing not just external dangers from across the border but also internal threats to its federal structure,” he said, adding that a unified Congress alone could protect the country and its people.
Terming the demand for leadership change as untenable, Amarinder noted the immense contribution of the Gandhi family to the country’s progress since it achieved freedom from the British rule. What Congress needs is a leadership that is acceptable not just to a few but to the entire party, through its rank and file, and the nation at large, he said. “The Gandhis are the right fit for this role. Sonia Gandhi should continue to helm the Congress as long as she wanted,” he said, adding, “Rahul should thereafter take over as he is fully competent to lead the party”.
The chief minister said there was not a single village in India which did not have a Congress member to carry forward its ideology of upholding the Constitutional principles, rights and freedoms. At a time when the very bedrock of India’s Constitutional strength was under threat, it was important for every Congress man and woman to stand firmly and unitedly behind the Gandhis, who had held the party together all these decades and could continue to do so, said Captain Amarinder Singh.
He said there was currently no leader in the Congress who could give the party that kind of strong leadership, he said, urging one and all to put the interests of the party and the nation above their own. Electoral defeats could not be the yardstick for leadership change, said the chief minister, adding that just because the Congress was down at the moment did not mean the Gandhis’ contribution to its growth could or should be undermined. He said the BJP rose from two parliamentary seats to lead the country, and added that the Congress will rise again, and that too under the leadership of a Gandhi.
{{/usCountry}}He said there was currently no leader in the Congress who could give the party that kind of strong leadership, he said, urging one and all to put the interests of the party and the nation above their own. Electoral defeats could not be the yardstick for leadership change, said the chief minister, adding that just because the Congress was down at the moment did not mean the Gandhis’ contribution to its growth could or should be undermined. He said the BJP rose from two parliamentary seats to lead the country, and added that the Congress will rise again, and that too under the leadership of a Gandhi.
{{/usCountry}}