Kolkata: The Congress elevated MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Ravneet Bittu in the Lok Sabha because senior leaders such as Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari have “other preoccupations” and would not be able to dedicate all their time, party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.
In an exclusive interview to ThePrint, Chowdhury, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, said the decision to appoint Gogoi as the party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha and Bittu as its whip in the Lower House of Parliament, was not a message to senior leaders or an attempt to corner them.
“It was the party’s decision to appoint Gogoi and Bittu. It was surely not done to belittle someone,” he said. “The party needs to have leaders who can give more time to Parliament work. The posts of deputy leader or chief whip require one to give more time.”
Chowdhury also said he felt the senior leaders would not be interested in holding such posts. “Manishji and Tharoorji are some of our senior-most and best speakers,” he added. “But they have many pre-occupations and I think they were not really interested in holding such positions. So, the party decided to appoint Gogoi and Bittu. But I had no role in this and I should not make more comments on the appointments.”
Chowdhury, however, admitted that the letter written by 23 Congress stalwarts, calling for a shake-up in the party organisation, had left a scar. Tewari and Tharoor were among the signatories.
“Our senior leaders, mostly stalwarts, took such a decision. Many of them are very close to the Gandhi family and have better access (to them) than we have,” he said. “They could have discussed these issues and suggestions privately or in person. Writing a letter and then leaking it to the media actually helped BJP. Had it been a personal or organisation conversation, it would have spared our party such humiliation.”
With Parliament’s monsoon session likely to commence from 14 September, Chowdhury said he will now ensure that all leaders work together to corner the BJP-led NDA government.
The monsoon session will be vital for the Congress as the party has a number of issues it can rake up. These include the Galwan Valley clash, the Covid-19 crisis, the Centre’s stand on GST devolution to the states, among others.
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‘Mamata facing acute anti-incumbency’
Chowdhury, the MP from Berhampur in West Bengal, said assembly elections in the state, scheduled for 2021, will be a tight contest.
He insisted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is facing “acute anti-incumbency”.
“According to the feedback I am getting from districts, there is an acute anti-incumbency against the chief minister,” said Chowdhury, a former president of the West Bengal Congress.
“In addition, there will be a dent in her minority vote-bank. Her government’s apathy towards migrant labourers, majority of them Muslims, has not gone down well.”
He also did not rule out the prospect of a hung assembly.
“Even though Bengal always gives a decisive mandate, this election, it is going to be unpredictable,” he said. “Mamata is facing erosion and BJP is banking on the anti-Mamata vote. Votes that BJP got last year were not BJP’s vote per se. Those were anti-Trinamool votes and that can swing either way. In this situation, Congress could have played a role of the kingmaker. But for that we need to be active.”
He admitted that the Congress unit in Bengal has become “weak” over the years. “If we start working now and hit the streets with people’s issues, we may play an important role,” Chowdhury said. “We will have a say in power after the elections.”
On the Congress yet to appoint a West Bengal unit president since Somen Mitra’s death on 30 July, Chowdhury said it should have happened by now.
“I requested Venugopalji (general secretary K.C. Venugopal) to accelerate the process. They should have selected one by now,” he said. “It is unfortunate. The party also asked me to take the role, but I had been the WB PCC chief earlier, so I let others have the opportunity. I am anyway there for the party all the time.”
Also read: ‘Consolidating anti-BJP secular space’ — what poll-bound Bengal sees in Mamata-Sonia bonding
The main qualification in the Congress is “I am close to the Gandhi family”.
The Congress is rapidly gaining speed as it hurtles over the edge into the abyss. The Chinese Communist Party has wasted its money investing in these fools.