Congress LS whip questions Kapil Sibal's criticism of Gandhi family; 'language of BJP'

The Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday, March 13, yielded no substantial results as the infighting in the Congress party continued after the meet. Following the meeting, the party's Lok Sabha whip Manickam Tagore on Tuesday, March 15, hit out at senior party leader Kapil Sibal for his remarks against the leadership. Tagore accused Sibal of speaking the "language of the RSS and BJP" after he asked the Gandhis to step aside from the party’s helm.

Tagore, a staunch Rahul Gandhi loyalist, launched an attack on Sibal for demanding a step down of the party’s leadership. Tagore sided Sibal with the RSS and the BJP and said that the ruling party wants the Nehru-Gandhis to quit Congress leadership and thus kill the party. He added that the BJP wants to "kill the Congress to destroy the idea of India."

"Why the RSS and BJP want Nehru-Gandhi's out of the leadership? Because without Gandhi's leadership Congress will become Janata party. It's easy to kill Congress then it's easy to destroy the idea of India," Tagore said on Twitter.

Criticising Sibal for siding with the idea, he asked, "Kapil Sibal knows it but why he is speaking the language of RSS/BJP."

Sibal accuses leadership of wanting 'Ghar ki Congress' 

Tagore’s question to Sibal comes after the senior leader said that the Gandhis should step aside and give some other leader a chance to lead the party. He had accused the leadership of wanting 'Ghar ki Congress' and not 'Sab ki Congress'. Sibal’s remarks came after the Congress Working Committee met on Sunday, and after almost five hours of deliberations urged Sonia Gandhi to continue to lead and initiate changes required to strengthen the party.

“I am neither surprised by the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections nor the decision of the CWC to reaffirm faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi,” Sibal had said adding that a large number of leaders outside the CWC have an entirely different point of view and said that the party leadership must listen to them.

Further adding on the CWC meet decision to reaffirm belief on the Gandhis’ leadership, Sibal said that there were many leaders who wanted a change in the top spot.

(With inputs form PTI, Image: ANI/PTI)