Rahul lacks stability, a non-Gandhi should be Congress chief: Kurien

In an interview to Malayalam weekly ‘Kerala Shabdam’, Kurian suggested that someone outside the Gandhi family should take up the reins of the Congress, which faced a massive defeat in assembly elections in five states recently.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is a leader who has “no stability” and cannot be entrusted with responsibilities, senior party leader and former Rajya Sabha vice chairman P J Kurien said.

P J Kurian also claimed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was surrounded by a “coterie”, as “leaders close to him had no organisational knowledge, exposure or election history”. (HT Archives)

In an interview to Malayalam weekly ‘Kerala Shabdam’, Kurien suggested that someone outside the Gandhi family should take up the reins of the party, which faced a massive defeat in assembly elections in five states recently.

“The captain cannot leave the ship when it is in trouble. After the 2019 elections, he resigned abruptly from the post (of Congress chief). But, he continues to take important decisions in the party,” Kurien said.

The 81-year-old also claimed that Gandhi was surrounded by a “coterie”, as “leaders close to him had no organisational knowledge, exposure or election history”.

“Many decisions are taken by him (Gandhi) after consulting leaders who are close to him. The party cannot go ahead like this. Senior leaders who prescribed necessary interventions to save the party were branded and sidelined,” he said.

Kurien was referring to Congress’s group of 23 leaders (G-23) who have been seeking an overhaul in the organisation ever since they sent a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi calling for sweeping changes, from top to bottom, in 2020. The party’s crisis has deepened after it failed to win a single state on its own in 10 assembly elections in the past two years.

However, the efforts of the 23 leaders have been met with stiff opposition from Gandhi loyalists who launched a counter attack on them.

Kurien is among the 23 leaders and his remarks against Gandhi came at a time the party is trying to bridge the gap with leaders who revolted against the current leadership.

“The party has been headless for some time. Gandhi left the key post when the party needed him most. He has no stability. The party cannot entrust responsibilities to him again. The party needs strong leadership now,” Kurien said.

Kurien served as a minister in the P V Narasimha Rao government. A five-time Lok Sabha MP, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha and appointed as deputy chairman of the house in 2012.

State party leaders said refused to react, saying they were yet to go through Kurien’s entire interview with the Malayalam weekly

Congress leader K V Thomas, who was served a show cause notice for attending the CPI(M) congress, said: “What he (Kurien) said is right.”