The echo of the recent opposition meeting hosted by Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi has sounded in Madhya Pradesh politics too. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that Congress faces an existential crisis and has no ideology and those trying to ride the boat with Congress will sink too.
Ex-chief minister and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath retorted saying the Congress existed before Shivraj and BJP leaders were even born, adding that the ideology of Congress was to unite people in contrast to the divisive ideology of BJP.
Sonia Gandhi hosted a virtual meeting on Friday that saw the attendance of leaders of 19 opposition parties who jointly underlined the need for unity towards the goal of defeating BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Most opposition parties except Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)—the key players of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls slated for next year and BJP baiters Aam Aadmi Party and ex-NDA member Akali Dal—attended the meeting.
Amongst the prominent leaders who attended the meeting were West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Shoren, RJD's Tejashwai Yadav, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI leader D. Raja, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, Jose K. Mani of Kerala Congress (M) and AIUDF's Badruddin Ajmal.
Making a statement on this meeting, Chouhan said on Saturday in Bhopal “Madame Sonia Gandhi is now remembering opposition unity when the Congress has lost everything. Congress does not have an existence and no ideology. The party is not even able to appoint its own president. What does Congress have? Due to the fascination of a single-family, the party has become directionless. Congress has become like a boat that will sink itself and those who try to ride it will sink too.”
Kamal Nath retorted in a series of tweets, saying the Congress ideology had kept people united for years.
He added that the ideology of the BJP was to exploit farmers, make youth unemployed, hurt the dignity of women, take lives through COVID-19 mismanagement, causing price rise, making false promises and talking big.
“It was Congress ideology that contributed to the freedom of the country and took it to heights and created so many assets that the BJP government was selling out at present. Those who were missing from the freedom struggle and wrote apology letters, on what grounds are they questioning Congress ideology and existence?” Nath asked.
He further said that as for opposition, the BJP is becoming aware of its strength and facing defeat everywhere. “It is sure that due to the anti-people attitude of the BJP, its boat will sink across the country soon,” Nath concluded.
