‘Congress Puts India’s Interest First; Opportunist MPs Flip Sides For Personal Glory’
Rajeev Kumar Singh, state secretary of UP Congress, says his party supported diplomatic delegations but some members are using this opportunity to curry favours with BJP. His views:
Let me start by saying that the Congress party, ever since the attack on tourists in Pahalgam, has stayed firmly with the central government for taking any strict and punitive action against the perpetrators and Pakistan. We do not play any kind of politics when it comes to religion, caste or the Indian army. We also supported Operation Sindoor and are happy as any other Indian with the losses inflicted on Pakistan by our brave Armed Forces.
The Congress party also backed the Centre on its decisions on seven diplomatic delegations (comprising 59 members, including 31 from the ruling NDA and 20 from other political parties) that fanned out to various countries to apprise them about Operation Sindoor and the ill deed of Pakistan. For, the Congress always believed that we might have different political opinions or ideology but as Indians, we stand together for the cause and welfare of our country.
Various Congress leaders like Manish Tiwari, Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor are part of the delegations along with other diehard BJP opponents like Asaduddin Owaisi, Supriya Sule, Kanimozhi K, Priyanka Chaturvedi and others. They all are highly experienced to handle diplomacy and have learned a lot with the stints in the parent and present parties so their intelligence cannot be questioned or doubted.
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As far as the party line is concerned, nobody can be forced to remain in the party or quit the party as they are free to take political decisions for themselves. It is also not a matter of decision as to why Tharoor or any other party leader went against the party’s decision and joined the delegations (without their names featuring in the list provided by the party). All we (as a party) could wish them all the best for their decision or future political plans with the party or with any other party.
I would just like to mention that the Congress nurtured many serious and intelligent politicians like Jitin Prasad, Jagdambika Pal, Rita Bahuguna Joshi and others who learned and progressed in the party but joined hands with BJP for their personal gains and left the party in its bad times. Many of them were also ministers in the UPA 1 and UPA 2 but without considering what the party did for them, they switched sides. There may be others who are in a similar situation now and maybe they are planning to switch loyalties but we, as a party, cannot interfere with anyone’s decisions.
If people are getting influenced by the BJP (in any manner) and are planning to go with them, they are welcome but it is painful for the party workers who have worked with them for decades to help them attain the stature and posts. If you were with the party in its good times, it would be your moral responsibility to stand with it in the bad times as it is not permanent.
Their tone has changed drastically and it may be possible that they have he;d `decisive’ talks with the BJP. The BJP has always in the practice of breaking the top leaders of other political parties as, may be, it never had good leaders who could run the party or assist in running the country.
Whatever, they (Congress leaders in the delegations) decide is their own will and all we do is to wish them best of luck for the political and personal future but if they or any other leader who has left the party earlier, are always welcome back and our doors will remain open for them.
As told to Rajat Rai
