Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has backed senior colleague Digvijaya Singh’s call for reforms within the party, asserting the need to strengthen the organisation, in the backdrop of a spiralling controversy over the latter’s remark.
Singh had last week highlighted the need for reforms and the decentralisation of power within the Congress in a public post, tagging Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. While such a public remark from a senior leader left the Congress embarrassed, it also underlined the growing discontent within the veteran leaders.
The controversy erupted yesterday over an online post in which Singh appeared to praise the RSS and BJP. Sharing a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor near BJP veteran LK Advani, the Rajya Sabha MP said that a grassroots worker can grow within the BJP-RSS ecosystem to top posts like chief minister and prime minister.
Though Singh later clarified that he remained a staunch opponent of the RSS-BJP, the damage was already done.
Tharoor, who has often been in the news over differences with his leaders, was asked if he had a word with Singh. On his way to attend an event to mark the 140th foundation day of the Congress, Tharoor remarked, “We are friends, and having a conversation is natural. The organisation must be strengthened – there is no question about it.”
Pointing to the party’s century-old history, he further told reporters that there’s a lot to learn from it. “We have a 140-year history; there’s a lot we can learn. I also want the organization to be strong. Discipline is essential. That’s logical. There must be discipline within our organization,” he added.