As the Congress continues to grapple with its electoral freefall since December 2013, two prominent faces of the party on Friday spoke out against the arrogance that has crept into the organisation. In separate interviews, former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said there was a need to “shun arrogance and trappings of power,” and former MP Sandeep Dikshit argued that the elitist culture of the Congress bred arrogance.
The Congress leadership, meanwhile, chose to face this criticism with customary silence, even in the case of Mr. Dikshit who was particularly sharp. “The culture [in Congress] has become elitist and arrogance grows from it; our cadres are uncomfortable in such a situation,” he said. Without naming anyone or providing examples, he said 50 per cent of the seniors in the Congress and 70 per cent in the National Students Union of India and Youth Congress were deadwood.
Mr. Ramesh’s views were more introspective in comparison, and the party spokespersons did not have to face much questioning on this count. However, in the case of Mr. Dikshit, Congress media in-charge Ajay Maken was grilled at the regular party briefing and he refused to comment, referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi asking all party functionaries and leaders to refrain from squabbling in public.
Asked if Mr. Dikshit’s remarks after Ms. Gandhi called for restraint warranted disciplinary action, he said: “It is for the people concerned in the party to look at it and take appropriate action.”
For now, the party’s central leadership appears to have chosen to view their statements as “post-election emotional outburst.” “Let them ventilate and get it out of the system,” was how one senior leader put it.
Mr. Dikshit’s broadside on the party comes a day after his mother and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the Congress had failed to put up a spirited fight in the Delhi Assembly elections under the leadership of Mr. Maken.
“On Ms. Dikshit’s statement, I will personally seek an appointment with her. I will personally go and meet her and find out where we went wrong if she feels as such so that we can take care that in future such lapses do not occur,” Mr. Maken said.
This was the first time Mr. Maken briefed the media after stepping down from the post of All India Congress Committee in-charge of communications on Tuesday following the Congress wipe-out in the Delhi Assembly elections.
