New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma Tuesday hit out at party leaders for attacking the ‘dissenters’ who had pitched for introspection in the party, further exposing the growing infighting in the Congress.
Sharma hit out at those leaders who have been attacking the signatories to a controversial letter written in August to party chief Sonia Gandhi, demanding “full-time and effective leadership”, as well those who have called for introspection after the party’s disastrous performance in the Bihar elections.
Congress MLA from Haryana Kuldeep Bishnoi Monday attacked senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was one of the signatories to the letter, after the latter criticised the “5-star culture” of the Congress towards elections.
“Azad sahab won the last election 15 years ago. So people like us, who have been continuously winning polls, can tell better about the current political situation,” Bishnoi said in a video message on Twitter.
1/2 .@INCIndia is rock solid. History is testament to Congress' instrumental role in our Independence struggle & nation-building endeavour. The Gandhi family has always been at the forefront of development & personal sacrifice. Identifying & empowering mass leaders will be key. pic.twitter.com/Bb35mY9yVP
— Kuldeep Bishnoi (@bishnoikuldeep) November 23, 2020
“In your whole life… you have won elections only thrice and you are advising the party… and you are talking against the same Gandhi family who had nominated you to Rajya Sabha five times… You were appointed in-charge of Haryana… and you sank the party there… had any other leader been in charge… we would have been in power in the state,” he added.
Sharma, who is a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the dissenting voices in the Congress, hit back, saying “some of the taller leaders since independence have been members of the Rajya Sabha”.
“… we have had a PM for two successive terms, Dr Manmohan Singh, who was a Member of Rajya Sabha, continues to be in Rajya Sabha, and continues to be respected as (former) PM,” Sharma told CNN-News18 in an interview.
#NewsAlert – Congress Turmoil explodes.
Congress Vetaran Anand Sharma hits out.
Some of the tallest leaders are from Rajya Sabha, Decency
and Decorum should be maintained: Anand Sharma@_pallavighosh shares details with @Arunima24. pic.twitter.com/wrPBIfGbep— CNN News18 (@CNNnews18) November 24, 2020
“Many other former PMs have been members of Rajya Sabha at various times, including (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and Indira Gandhi ji,” Sharma added.
Also read: Letter politics at CWC meet — who said what in Congress over leadership change
‘People should be judged by the merit of their contribution’
In the interview, Sharma further said “decency and decorum” should be maintained and that “people must have a sense of history and understanding of the constitution of our Republic”.
“It’s for the political parties to decide who are the people who are qualified and capable to represent them in the Council of States. Both Houses have their own roles, if it is a shortcoming to be a member of Rajya Sabha, then the very functioning of Indian democracy will be derailed because the Upper House can’t be left unpopulated,” he added.
“People should be judged by the merit of their contribution, which is well documented in Parliament and should also be documented in history,” Sharma said.
The former Union minister added: “To score cheap points, the dignity of Rajya Sabha should not be assaulted and elected members should not be belittled,” he added.
Last week, Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also a Congress Rajya Sabha MP, had hit out at party leaders for criticising the Congress leadership, saying they are “weakening the party from within”.
Also read: Congress forms panels to ‘speak in one voice’, writers of ‘leadership change’ letter find space