JOIN USCongress appears to be shedding its aversion to leaders making public comments on revamping the organisation, including shifting out party veterans to advisory positions.
A string of leaders such as P Chidambaram, Shashi Tharoor, Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Satyavrat Chaturvedi have made a strong pitch for changes in the party and handing over reins to the youth.
“All positive and constructive suggestions are welcome… the party does not function on gag orders,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters here when asked about suggestions made by senior leaders in the aftermath of the recent defeat in the Assembly elections.
CWC meet soon
He said the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is expected to meet soon and the suggestions could be discussed then.
Chidambaram, Singhvi, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh have called for sweeping changes to the party organisation, revamping of the Congress Working Committee and shunting “usual faces” to advisory roles.
While Singh had suggested a “major surgery” to set things right in the organisation, his detractor Chaturvedi utilised the comment to settle scores with the Madhya Pradesh rival.
“People who are talking of surgeries should look within. It is because of them that the party has come to such a pass,” Chaturvedi told reporters here.
Singhvi himself shot off a series of tweets on Sunday asking party leaders not to shrug off the Assembly results as “business as usual”.
Earlier, voicing of opinions in public domain had earned a strong reprimand from the party leadership with an advice to use various party forums for airing such views.
The outspoken Digvijaya Singh has been at the receiving end of such “gag orders” on numerous occasions.
On Monday, Singhvi dismissed the contention that suggestions for restructuring and improvement in the party were against the interest of the organisation.
Asked about his tweets, Singhvi said those were made in his personal capacity and not as a party spokesman.
DH News Service