A day after Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh took a swipe at senior party leader Shashi Tharoor, the party urged all its leaders and spokespersons to refrain from making any comment of any kind on any colleague contesting the elections.
Senior party leader Tharoor is likely to be one of the candidates for the Congress’ presidential elections.
The rider came on Friday after Vallabh, on Thursday, said that Tharoor’s “only major contribution” to the party was to send letters to Sonia Gandhi when she was hospitalised.
Vallabh was replying to the query about Tharoor contesting the party’s presidential poll. Not only that, but Vallabh also voiced support for another probable candidate, Rajasthan Chief minister and veteran party leader Ashok Gehlot.
According to Congress sources, Jairam Ramesh, general secretary (In-charge Communications), has strongly urged all the party leaders, spokespersons and panellists to refrain from making any comment of any kind on any colleague contesting the elections.
“We all have our individual preferences, but our job is to highlight that the Congress is the only political party to have a democratic and transparent system in place for the election of its president,” the source said quoting Ramesh, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP.
Ramesh, as per a party source, also asked the leaders to highlight that Congress is the only political party in India to have an independent Election Authority to conduct organisational elections.
“A person wanting to contest needs no nod from anybody to do so, except from 10 PCC delegates for filing the nomination form. The election authorities ensure free and fair elections. “Speakers have to ensure that elections are seen to be free and fair,” Ramesh told the party leaders.
The source said that Ramesh also asserted that if elections have to be held on October 17, so be it. “We welcome it. Even so, the focus of the entire party organisation should be, and indeed is, to make the Bharat Jodo Yatra a resounding success,” the source said, quoting the Congress leader.
The Congress is witnessing an election for the post of party president after a gap of 21 years.