Former cabinet ministers Manmohan Singh have spoken out in his defense. (Photo file)
New Delhi:
Two days after a congressional meeting saw sharp arguments and criticism from young leaders who appeared to blame the last party government for its massive downfall, a section of the party rallied behind the former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Twitter.
Lawmakers Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari and former Mumbai congressman Milind Deora – all ministers in Dr Singh’s cabinet at one point – have defended the former prime minister, calling his criticism “misinformed” and part of a “malicious narrative”.
I agree with @ManishTewari & @milinddeora. The ten years of UPA transformation have been distorted and translated into a motivated and malicious narrative. There is a lot to learn from our losses and a lot to do to revive @INCIndia. But not by playing into the hands of our ideological enemies. https://t.co/Ui6WUlBl3F
– Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) Aug 1, 2020
Well said, Manish.
When he resigned in 2014, Dr Manmohan Singh said: “History will be sweeter to me”.
Could he have imagined that some of his own party would cast aside his years of service in the nation and seek to destroy his legacy – that too, in his presence? https://t.co/HQyihXkFvk
– Milind Deora मिलिंद देवरा (@milinddeora) Aug 1, 2020
BJP was off for 10 years 2004-14. Not once did they blame Vajpayee or his government for their difficulties then.
In @INCIndia Unfortunately, some uninformed people prefer to take blows against the UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh rather than fight against the NDA / BJP.
When unity needs, they divide.
– Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) Aug 1, 2020
Anand Sharma posted an 11-tweet thread listing the accomplishments of the 10-year rule of Congress and how he was “the victim of a major political conspiracy and a malicious disinformation campaign by the BJP, political opponents and the powerful vested interests “.
Members of Congress should be proud of the heritage of the PAU. No party denies or discredits its heritage. No one expects the BJP to be charitable and give us credit, but ours should respect and remember. (11/11)
– Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) Aug 1, 2020
Fighting between former Union ministers who were part of the Manmohan Singh government and leaders identified as members of Rahul Gandhi’s team at the meeting called Thursday by party leader Sonia Gandhi had once again highlighted evidence of the divide in Congress since it lost power to the BJP. in 2014.
The younger leaders reportedly said those in the last United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government should take responsibility for Congress’ rapid decline. Some of them also called for the return of Rahul Gandhi to the presidency of the Congress, stressing that there was no consensus on any other candidate.
Manmohan Singh, the dual prime minister whose second term ended in a haze of allegations of corruption and political paralysis, did not say a word during the four-hour video meeting, sources said.
The meeting came as Congress struggled to contain the second open revolt by one of the party’s young faces – Sachin Pilot, which pushed his party’s government of Rajasthan to its end just months after Jyotiraditya Scinda wrote about the collapse of his administration in Madhya Pradesh by joining the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi stepped down as Congress leader after the party’s national electoral debacle last year, the second in a row. His mother Sonia Gandhi took over as interim leader until the party chose a new president. Over a year later, that hasn’t changed.
The clash reportedly started when veteran congressman Rajya Sabha expressed concern over the party’s inability to capitalize on issues that appear to have hampered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government this year, including the economic downturn, the response to coronaviruses and the dispute with China.
Senior leaders reportedly deemed the Congressional offensive too weak and disorganized to weaken support for Prime Minister Modi. They suggested there should be more soul-searching and consultation and questioned the lack of discussion, debate and consultation.
As Rahul Gandhi led this offensive, with daily videos and tweets, the young MPs opposed. Rajiv Satav, 45, is said to have said that “full soul-searching” was necessary after Congress was defeated in 2014.
