Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi would face a major challenge in reviving the Congress party: Raut

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, said on Sunday that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra face a major struggle in reviving their party, amid discussions of forming an opposition front with the Congress as an integral part to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the next general elections. "Both face a significant challenge in revitalizing the Congress," he remarked after their meeting in New Delhi last week.

 

In his weekly essay 'Rokhthok' in the Sena publication Saamana, Raut suggested that the Gandhi siblings learn from Lokmanya Tilak, who turned the Congress into a weapon of political revolution. Raut, whose party leads the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra with the Congress and the NCP, said Rahul reminded him during their conversation that the Congress's system of developing and building leaders has ended, and that the latter has never disrespected senior party officials. He reported Rahul as adding that after his Rajya Sabha term ended, he asked veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to take over the Congress' Jammu & Kashmir unit, but the latter declined.

 

According to the Sena man, Gandhi told him that during a poll, Singh received "just 6% votes" as CM, while individuals who were not even running for the position received more votes than Singh. Raut further claimed that if West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticizes him or the Congress, he will not respond. Rahul's statement came only days after Mamata made a jab at him during a visit to Mumbai, suggesting that one cannot stay overseas all of the time.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @rautsanjay61