Rift Within Congress Widens; Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary Attacks Ghulam Nabi Azad For His 'Five Star Culture'

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday said the leaders should "look into a mirror and do introspection".

A rift within the Congress party is evidently getting wider with veteran leaders critising each other over party's poor performance in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections. Recently, senior leaders Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad hit out Gandhi's for their style of leadership and demanded reforms within the party. Responding to these voices, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday said the leader should "look into a mirror and do introspection". "If they have anything to point out for Bihar loss, they should wait for the right time. Rubbing salt on an electoral loss is opportunism. Some people might enjoy it," Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. Congress Party has a culture and the leaders owe their position today to the party culture, they should not attack it, Chowdhury added. Speaking in the line of upcoming West Bengal poll, Ranjan went on to say "We are in an alliance in Bengal with Left parties where our performance was better than coalition partners in 2016 assembly polls. One can’t compare it to Bihar or any other state."

Polls aren't worn by 5-star culture: Ghulam Nabi Azad

His remarks came a day after Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that Congress is on its lowest in the last 72 years, the grand old party does not have even the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha during last two terms. Hitting at the party leaders, Azad said that polls aren't worn by 5-star culture. Problem with leaders today is if they get a party ticket, they first book a 5-star hotel. They won't go if there's a rough road. Till the time 5-star culture is given up, one can't win elections. Veteran politician, who was removed as All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in September, went on to say that Leadership needs to give a programme to party workers and hold elections for posts. One should be so much indispensable that leadership asks for you in your absence.