Congress senior leader Kapil Sibal who propagated the ‘zero loss theory’ when the 2G scam came to light in 2011, has now given a live example of the same. After slamming Rahul Gandhi for accusing him and the others for “colliding with the BJP”, he withdrew his tweet, saying, that he was informed by Rahul Gandhi ‘personally’ that he never said that the old guard of Congress is colluding with BJP.
https://twitter.com/KapilSibal/status/1297810344664895489?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwMiffed by the Gandhi scion, questioning the timing of the letter by 23 Congress leaders appealing for a total overhaul of the party leadership, the senior party leader, Kapil Sibal had resorted to sly tweeting.
Visibly upset with the accusations thrown at him, the senior Congress leader wrote, that though, in the last 30 years of his association with the party, he has never made any statement in favour of BJP, he has been accused of “colliding with the BJP”.
Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad, who were a part of the group which wrote the letter, said they are upset by Rahul Gandhi’s remarks. Sibal said he has never made a statement in favour of the BJP on any issue. Azad, meanwhile, offered to resign.
Kapil Sibal’s tweet had attracted resentment from several Congress loyalists. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tagged Kapil Sibal’s tweet and issued a clarification that the former Congress chief ‘did not say a word of this nature nor alluded to it.’
All in all, a ‘zero loss’ for Sibal.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, called to discuss the turmoil within the Congress, turned fiery after Sonia Gandhi’s supporters slammed the leaders who wrote a letter to her, seeking a complete overhaul. Media reports suggested that Rahul Gandhi called the letter ill-timed and said the whole exercise was done in collusion with the BJP. AK Antony and other leaders said the letter was unfortunate and cruel. However, Congress leaders have now claimed that Rahul Gandhi clarified he never accused them of colluding with BJP.
The old resignation drama where the Congress leadership (read the Gandhis) is hellbent on stepping down, with their loyalists are urging them to stay on has again started. This time, Sonia Gandhi has offered to step down while former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has urged her to stay on. This is in similar lines with the last year’s farce, where Rahul Gandhi had insisted on resigning and his loyalists had gone out of their way to convince the Gandhi scion not to abdicate.
Meanwhile, the CWC meeting is still underway and we will have to wait and watch whether the Gandhis will remain the official or unofficial President of Congress.