The Shiv Sena on Wednesday claimed that even though Maharashtra Congress leaders do not read its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the interim President Sonia Gandhi has ‘taken note’ of its article, which raised questions on the Congress party’s inability to defeat the incumbent government in Kerala, Assam, and drawing a nought in West Bengal.
An editorial published on Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Wednesday said that Sonia Gandhi had raised important issues of the party’s failure in the recently concluded elections in the meeting of the Congress Working Committee. The Marathi publication said Congress seems to be affected by the defeat in Assam, West Bengal and Kerala. Raising questions on the responsibility for the lack of grass-roots leadership in the Congress, the editorial said that all three chief ministers of Assam, Puducherry and West Bengal were once a part of the Congress fold.
Sena advised Congress to self introspect and emerge as the leader of all opposition parties in future.
The editorial came against the backdrop of a humiliating poll drubbing that Congress received at the hands of the incumbent BJP in Assam and the LDF in Kerala during the recently held Assembly polls in the two states. On the other hand, West Bengal saw a pitched battle between the BJP and the TMC, with Congress struggling to maintain its relevance. As a consequence, it could not win a single seat out of the total 292 assembly seats.
Significantly, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole had recently said that he has stopped reading ‘Saamana’ and does not take things published in the Sena mouthpiece seriously. The Congress leader had also suggested that Shiv Sena should stop commenting on his party and its leadership.
However, the editorial published on Wednesday said that Sonia Gandhi asked the same uncomfortable questions over the Congress party’s defeat in the assembly elections which were asked through an editorial in ‘Saamana’.
“If senior Congress leaders have read the Saamana editorial and gave their feedback from the grass-root level to Sonia Gandhi, it is good,” said Shiv Sena in its article.
The article also fawned over the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, hailing him as a lone leader putting up a brave fight against the BJP despite the barrage of criticism levelled against him. “Rahul Gandhi is the commander-in-chief of the Congress party and his attacks on the government are very specific and to the point, ” the article said.
The article further added that Congress will have to fashion itself as a strong opposition party to fight the Modi government in future. It suggested Congress leave the Twitter world and get on the ground to connect with the people and restore their lost pride.
“At this time, all the opposition leaders to shun their Twitter existence and emerge on the political battleground. Coming to the ground doesn’t mean inviting crowds during the time of the pandemic, it means to question the government and hold it accountable,” the editorial said.
“The Congress party should take the lead in forging a united front of opposition political parties. Sonia Gandhi must be wanting to give the same message. She is still the Congress president and it is important to take note of her views,” it said.
