Choice of words maybe wrong, not feelings: Rahul

Facing criticism for not being on the same page as the Congress-led UPA government and the prime minister on the ordinance to shield convicted lawmakers, party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said his choice of words may have been wrong but not his sentiments about the now withdrawn ordinance.

This is how the Congress scion defended his outburst against the ordinance, calling it “nonsense” and fit to be torn and thrown away.

Interacting with a select media group here on Thursday, Gandhi said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi, too, shared his feelings. “My mother told me that the words I had used were strong,” Gandhi said.

“On hind sight even I feel that probably the words I used were not right, but the sentiments were right,” Rahul said. “I have every right to express my opinion and a large section of Congress members are with me.”

Giving the background of his dramatic outburst at New Delhi, Gandhi said: “I had called up Maken and he said ‘I am defending the ordinance.’ I told him ‘you can’t defend it, I am coming and I’ll defend it for you.’”

Admitting that the withdrawal of the ordinance was detrimental to Congress’ alliance, Rahul said his viewpoint “is costly for the Congress.”

On a two-day visit to Gujarat, Rahul arrived here on Thursday and has been interacting with party workers in a bid to rejuvenate the party ahead of the general election next year. His visit assumes extra significance as this is his first visit to the home turf of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, after the latter’s elevation.

He will visit Rajkot on Friday to meet the workers from North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch. Rajkot was the first constituency represented by Modi in Gujarat and is a stronghold of the saffron brigade in Gujarat. He is also scheduled to address the extended executive committee of the State Congress in Rajkot on Friday.

Claiming that the Congress has not gone into election mode yet, Rahul attributed the moribund state of Gujarat Congress to its internal bickerings. “Problem in Gujarat Congress is internal,” Rahul said without mincing words. He went on to deny the BJP the credit of winning successive elections in the state and said, “We (Congress) don’t lose it (election) to the BJP but to our internal factionalism.”

Rahul said: “Let us wait for the election results.” He pointed out that it was predicted that Congress would lose the   2004 as well as 2009 elections.