New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has come down heavily on his colleagues who raised demands for introspection within the party.
In a Facebook post that started with an Urdu couplet of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, Khurshid, who is among the leaders considered close to Sonia Gandhi family, said “if the mood of the electorate is resistant to the liberal values the party has espoused and cherished, it should be prepared for a long struggle rather than look for short cuts to get back into power. Citing the last Mughal ruler’s couplet which talks about looking within for flaws that would make one not see others as flawed, he said Bahadur Shah Zafar’s words might be a useful companion for many Congress leaders who suffer ‘periodic pangs of anxiety”.
Senior Congress leaders including Kapil Sibal had called for introspection after the party’s dismal performance in the recently held Bihar Assembly polls. Days after Congress’ defeat in Bihar, Sibal had said people no longer saw the Congress as an ‘effective alternative’.
Sibal was among the 23 Congress leaders who in August wrote a letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi, demanding sweeping changes in the party.
The former Union Minister, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express: “Instead of listening to us, they turned their back on us. The results are for all to see.”
“People of the country, not just in Bihar but wherever by-elections were held, obviously donāt consider the Congress to be an effective alternative,” Sibal said.