Seventy-five-year-old Digvijaya Singh will file his nomination for the Congress president’s post exactly on the same day that he began his 3,300-km Narmada Parikrama in 2018. Known to love challenges and taking the bull by its horns, the veteran leader spoke to News18.com on the contest and Ashok Gehlot.
The party observers’ report may not have given a clean chit to Gehlot, but Digvijaya Singh did. “I don’t think he betrayed any trust and he has been loyal to the party and the Gandhis. The disciplinary committee looked into the matter and they have served a show-cause notice to three. I have decided to contest because I felt my party needed to and I wanted to show my need to strengthen the party,” he said.
As far as his potential contest with party colleague Shashi Tharoor is concerned, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister appeared relaxed.
“I and he (Shashi Tharoor) are the same. Both of us are people of Gandhian-Nehruvian ideology. Whosoever wins, it will be the victory of the ideology,” the senior Congress leader said, adding that the election will be “free and fair”.
Digvijaya Singh, who is known to be a loyalist of the Gandhi family, asserted that the command of the Congress party will always remain in the hands of the Nehru-Gandhi family, and whoever is elected the president will be their representative.
There is a criticism and apprehension that the Rajasthan crisis has thrown up, that whoever becomes the party president will be a mere rubber stamp. “I don’t think so,” said Digvijaya. “You have seen how Amit Shah dictates to JP Nadda? We don’t. The Gandhis have said they will be neutral and they are. They will always remain our leaders. If tomorrow they tell me to give up or withdraw, I will. 99% of our party workers want the Gandhis and think and accept them as our leader.”
He did agree that what happened in Rajasthan was unfortunate but said it has not weakened the Gandhis.
He also laughed off those who think he will be an embarrassment to the party if he becomes its president.
At one point the man who seemed to have fallen out of favour, made a comeback with his Narmada Yatra. He impressed the Gandhis, especially the younger ones, and this is the reason why he was made the head of the agitation committee.
It’s Digvijaya Singh who has devised the entire plan and logistics of the Bharat Chhodo Yatra. By contesting the party presidential election, once again Digvijaya Singh shows he cannot be ignored for long.
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