Amid the resentment between the leaders of the grand old party, the former Union Minister and a senior Congress leader Slaman Khurshid has written a letter to the members of G-23 asking them to stick at one place and to worry about how they would be judged by the people.
“We thought the G-23 made their point and were suitably informed that party elections will be held when appropriate (something they agreed to in their interaction with the Congress president and later at the CWC). But are they changing the goal posts once again with the public display of disquiet (or reservations) in Jammu and as we are being told, very soon in Haryana,” Khurshid said in the letter.
Salman Khurshid’s letter comes following the statements made by the members of G-23 and its leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at a recent rally in Jammu and Kashmir. Last year the G- 23 had also questioned the party working in a letter to interim president Sonia Gandhi and asked for reforms in the party.
The G-23 is the group of dissenters of Congress party.
He also wrote that they should not forget that democracy is a process not a one time act and also said that they are not the ones who care about democracy as there are many ‘gumnam’ leaders in the party who care about it more.
“They must not forget that democracy is a process, not static in time. Ultimately it is a relevant question whether it is fair to kick the very ladder you have climbed to the top storey of life from where making speeches is easy. But do think of the many who did not make it to the ladder, the elevated platforms being far beyond reach,” wrote Khurshid.
“As a result we shy away from speaking about minorities and put on a public display of identifying with the cultural symbols of the majority that have largely been appropriated by the BJP. We have been forced to accept ‘mistakes’ made by our heroes because public mood appears to require it. Obviously this calls for careful balancing of reality and perception, strategy and ideology,” he added.
Many veteran party leaders like Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma also thought that the Congress party is “getting weaker” and hence, they are raising their voice for the upliftment of the party. Internal elections were also demanded by the G-23 leaders.
The former party chief Rahul Gandhi also said that he was criticized by his own party members when he initiated Youth Congress and NSUI elections.