Congress continues Modi bashing

The Congress on Monday celebrated its 131st Foundation Day but countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to be top on the minds of its senior leaders, including party president Sonia Gandhi.

After hoisting the party-tricolour at the AICC headquarters here on Monday morning, Sonia hosted senior party leaders for tea at her office. In attendance was vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and senior party functionaries.

Sources present at the brief customary meeting over tea said Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan topped the discussions with Azad and Sharma explaining the prime minister’s flip-flop in handling foreign policy.

Reeling under shock defeat in the Lok Sabha elections last year, the Congress finds itself struggling to match Modi’s element of surprise, particularly in dealing with Pakistan.

A senior leader said the organisational elections that were to be completed by December this year have been put off by at least six months and in all likelihood may not take place before the next year end.

Rahul is expected to take over as Congress president from his mother Sonia after the organisational elections.

Khurshid utilised the opportunity to present copies of his book ‘On the Other Side of the Mountain’, which is described as a concise biography not of one person but of the many who were part of the UPA.