Air views with ‘due sensitivity’: Congress to elders

Janardan Dwivedi has forwarded the letter to the general secretaries, secretaries and CWC members along with an advisory.

With a dozen-odd AICC secretaries asking the party to direct “senior” leaders to refrain from making “negative” public comments about the leadership, the Congress on Friday asked the elders to take their views with “due sensitivity” — an advice being interpreted as a message to not speak out of turn. It also gave a stern pipe down message to the young leaders, asking them to “refrain” from giving advise through the media.

A group of 14 AICC secretaries, handpicked by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had on Thursday given a joint letter to general secretary in charge of the organisation Janardan Dwivedi expressing their displeasure over the public statements. They wanted the party to direct “senior” leaders to “refrain from going public” with “negative comments” and had argued that those who are expressing their views in public are the very leaders who have been a part and parcel of the highest decision making body of the party.

Dwivedi has forwarded the letter to the general secretaries, secretaries and CWC members along with an advisory. “I am enclosing a letter from 14 secretaries of the AICC who have expressed concern over the public statements of some senior Congress members regarding affairs of the party which in their view harmed the interests of the organisation.

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“I am sure that all colleagues will take their views with due sensitivity. I am issuing separate letters to them also advising that in future they should refrain from giving such advice publicly through the media,” Dwivedi’s letter said. Sources in the party said it has not issued any gag order but only advised the senior leaders to be cautious. On the other hand, the young turks have been told to lie low since they have made their point amply clear.

While Rahul has admitted there was tension in the Congress, the party indicated the issue would be addressed.

“I don’t think this (the letter by the secretaries) was in any form or nature of a complaint or a disagreement. People like to share views, issues about management of perceptions, about management of public information and the exchanges between general secretaries and secretaries take place all the time… These are all out internal management issues which we continue to work on,” senior Congress spokesperson Salman Khurshid said.

He said such letters are often written some of which contain reminders, some flak, some suggestions and some proposals. “No one has violated discipline. People are on the same side. They are on the same page,” he said. Dismissing suggestions that some seniors have been ticked off, he said, “Many ideas come, which everybody shares.”