‘Electoral process not completely ideal’, Tharoor breaks silence on official candidate of Gandhi family

Congress contesting for the presidency of Shashi Tharoor said on Friday that he was aware of calling himself an underdog and being discussed in some circles as an official candidate, but Gandhi family has repeatedly assured him that he is not directly or indirectly supporting anyone. Tharoor, who filed his nomination papers for the election to the post of Congress president on Friday at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, also said that clearly the electoral process is not entirely ideal.

At the same time, he said that now there is no justification for seeking improvement in it (in the election process), because if someone wants to play the match, then he has to bat on the available pitch. Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, however, insisted that he was confident of the party’s commitment to ensure that the election of the Speaker’s post is held in a free and fair manner.

New leader can fill new energy in the party

Tharoor said he believed that a new leader, who has not been overwhelmed by fatigue due to his long entanglement in the existing system, can infuse new energy into the party. Such a leader can attract more voters than the Congress has garnered in the last few elections. The 66-year-old leader also said that he is hopeful that the Gandhi family will recognize the fact that he is and will remain the cornerstone of the Congress, he is and will remain our moral conscience and ultimate guide.

He said that the members of the Gandhi family cannot and should not shy away from this role, irrespective of the formal position they hold. Tharoor said, in my view, the election of the party president’s post may be an internal exercise, but it also represents an opportunity to arouse public interest in the Congress at a wider level and inspire party workers.

He said that when Rahul Gandhi offered to resign from the post of the party president taking responsibility for the Congress’s rout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he (Tharoor) was one of the leaders who gave him (Rahul) Tried to persuade him not to take such a step. In the end, he stood by his decision and we should respect it, said former Union minister Tharoor. It also proved that the longer the Congress took to fix everything, the greater the risk of our traditional vote bank being continuously eroded and attracted to our political competitors.

This is the reason why I have long been a vocal supporter of fair and transparent elections within the party, including for the post of president. In fact, the leader chosen by the Congress workers will be more helpful in solving the organizational challenges as well as in carrying out the process of reconstruction of the party, which is important for strengthening the organization internally. Tharoor argued that such a speaker would have the added recognition of reaching out to the public to garner support. He said that working on the old pattern will not take us anywhere.

Tharoor told how the party needs a leader

Tharoor said that whoever is elected president, he should prepare and implement a roadmap that will enable the Congress to find a way to attract more voters than the 19 per cent voters who voted for the party in 2014 and 2019. get help. “The party will have to appeal to those who did not vote for it in those two elections and went in favor of the BJP,” he said. Most of these did so for reasons other than Hindutva.

Tharoor said it would require a leader who looks beyond the past to address the aspirations of young India while staying connected to the party’s history, a person who firmly believes that the party will make the country a united country. What can lead us to become a better society, an individual who is ready to take advantage of the opportunities available in the world of the 21st century. “Therefore, the challenge for the Congress is twofold: we need to articulate a positive and aspirational vision for the nation as well as work towards addressing the organizational and structural deficiencies that have hindered our recent efforts,” he said. Tharoor said, in my view, the solution to the problem lies in a combination of effective leadership and organizational reform. The former Union Minister called for a re-imagining of the organizational culture in the party for decentralization of power and truly empowering the grassroots functionaries.

He argued that giving more powers to the state leaders and empowering the grassroot level functionaries would not only reduce the administrative work burden on the new leader, but would also help in creating strong leadership at the state level, which in the past had been national Has played an important role in increasing the popularity of Congress at the level.

Tharoor said he took the decision to contest for the post of president as it would give strength to the Congress and that he had several ideas to reform and revitalize the party after the recent election setbacks, such as power. Decentralisation, strengthening of advisory mechanisms and giving workers greater access to leadership at all levels. Asked about the concerns expressed by him and some other MPs about the fairness and transparency of the elections, Tharoor said he has raised some practical and procedural questions with regard to the upcoming elections with the chairman of the party’s Central Election Authority. . Tharoor said Madhusudan Mistry has taken up these questions and he appreciates the constructive manner in which the party’s election panel chief personally approached him to discuss these issues in detail.

Gandhi family gave assurance

“It is clear that the process has not been completely ideal, but don’t forget that we have not had elections in the last two decades,” he said. So there is no justification for seeking improvement, because if you want to play the match, you have to bat on the available pitch.

Tharoor said, there is talk in some circles that there will be an official candidate supported by the party leadership, but on the contrary Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have repeatedly insisted in their conversations with me in the last two weeks. That the Nehru-Gandhi family welcomes these elections, wants to see diverse candidates contesting elections and is neither directly nor indirectly supporting any candidate. He said he is happy to accept the assurances of the Gandhi family and is confident of the party’s commitment to ensure that these elections are held in a free and fair manner.

Tharoor said, “Like many other Congress workers, I am also happy to go ahead with the election process because in my opinion it will strengthen the party.” Asked about his chances of victory in the elections, Tharoor said that he has never contested an election without a chance of victory. “The hat-trick of victory in Thiruvananthapuram, where the Left had emerged victorious in the two elections held before my arrival, shows that my results have so far upheld that view,” the Congress MP said.

He said that I appreciate that I am widely seen as the underdog in this race and also that many people believe that the organization will unite to protect its vested interests in the status quo . But sometimes, regardless of the likely outcome, one must show the courage to act on his determination to do the right thing, Tharoor said.

Asked about the crisis in the Rajasthan Congress, Tharoor said he does not want to comment on developments in Rajasthan, especially at a time when the party president is actively discussing with all stakeholders to find a proper solution to the crisis. .