E-Paper
Minister Anurag Thakur's direct attack on Gandhis: ‘Congress doesn’t see…'
Anurag Thakur's remarks were not very different from what his BJP colleagues have been saying of the Congress debacle in the recent round of assembly elections.
Union minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday launched a direct attack on the Gandhis as the Congress held a crucial parliamentary meeting where the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was targeted by Sonia Gandhi. "The Congress does not see outside of the Gandhi family. All members of the family have already seen the result of their attempts. Earlier Rahul Gandhi was at the helm but their account could not be opened in West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was in-charge... and the party lost deposits and got just two seats."
"Now Sonia Gandhi is holding the responsibility. Yet time and again, the same question is raised... if the leadership roles will be limited to one family regardless of potential or ability. Till the time Congress finds an answer to this puzzle, it won't find its way out of the crisis."
Anurag Thakur's remarks were not very different from what his BJP colleagues have been saying of the Congress debacle in the recent round of assembly elections. The Congress was voted out of power in Punjab while it could not manage to regain the lost ground in Manipur, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh or Goa - the four states the BJP easily retained.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the results were a proof that “people had rejected dynastic politics”.
Thakur's comments also came as Sonia Gandhi spoke of revival of her party at a meeting on Tuesday morning. “The road ahead is more challenging than ever before. Our dedication and determination, our spirit of resilience [are] under severe test. Unity at all levels of our vast organisation is of paramount importance...,” she said as she underlined that the Congress's revival was important for the sake of democracy.
The Congress chief also targeted the NDA for attacking the opposition, which has been trying to put up a united front against the BJP.
Last week, union minister Nitin Gadkari also said the Congress's comeback was important for a strong democracy. "Democracy runs on two wheels. One wheel is the ruling party and another wheel is the opposition. A strong opposition is needed for democracy and that is why I feel from the heart that Congress should become stronger at the national level," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
