Hubballi: Although a member of the ‘G-23’ group of Congress leaders that has been demanding a restricting of India’s ‘Grand Old Party’ former chief minister and senior party leader M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday opined that it was not ideal to raise questions about the manner in which the top brass was functioning when the Congress was reeling under losses.
Moily, responding to questions on former Union minister Kapil Sibal’s statements on the leadership of the Nehru-Gandhi family, said, “It is Sibal’s personal opinion, and I will not respond to that. I was one of the signatories of the G-23 group, which sought reforms in the party, but we were not questioning the leadership. But the group seems misguided now, and I am no longer associated with it.”
The former Karnataka CM dismissed charges levelled by other parties of the Congress confronting a crisis of leadership. “All India Congress Committee (AICC) interim president Sonia Gandhi has sacked the chiefs of the state party units where we lost the elections. This is a strong and decisive step. Such decisions will help strengthen the party in the future,” Moily said.
Queried about the party’s neutral stance on the row over the right to wear the hijab, Moily, who served as the Union law minister in former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet, said, “The whole controversy is a game of one upmanship between an incumbent MLA in Udupi, and one of the aspirants for the ticket in the next election. While the BJP has given this issue a political dimension, and equated the hijab with the saffron shawl, the Congress was more restrained.”
He said that the Congress would abide by the ruling of the high court. “Moreover, an appeal has been filed before the Supreme Court. It is unfortunate that the issue, which must have been resolved locally, has now landed in the highest court of the land,” Moily added.
Former minister AM Hindasgeri and former MLA DR Patil were among those with Moily at the interaction.
Moily, responding to questions on former Union minister Kapil Sibal’s statements on the leadership of the Nehru-Gandhi family, said, “It is Sibal’s personal opinion, and I will not respond to that. I was one of the signatories of the G-23 group, which sought reforms in the party, but we were not questioning the leadership. But the group seems misguided now, and I am no longer associated with it.”
The former Karnataka CM dismissed charges levelled by other parties of the Congress confronting a crisis of leadership. “All India Congress Committee (AICC) interim president Sonia Gandhi has sacked the chiefs of the state party units where we lost the elections. This is a strong and decisive step. Such decisions will help strengthen the party in the future,” Moily said.
Queried about the party’s neutral stance on the row over the right to wear the hijab, Moily, who served as the Union law minister in former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet, said, “The whole controversy is a game of one upmanship between an incumbent MLA in Udupi, and one of the aspirants for the ticket in the next election. While the BJP has given this issue a political dimension, and equated the hijab with the saffron shawl, the Congress was more restrained.”
He said that the Congress would abide by the ruling of the high court. “Moreover, an appeal has been filed before the Supreme Court. It is unfortunate that the issue, which must have been resolved locally, has now landed in the highest court of the land,” Moily added.
Former minister AM Hindasgeri and former MLA DR Patil were among those with Moily at the interaction.