G-23 meeting held at Azad’s residence, Congress names leaders to assess poll debacle

As many as 18 leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor and Sandeep Dixit.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor arrives to attend a meeting of party leaders held at Ghulam Nabi Azad’s residence in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI)

Some senior Congress leaders met at the residence of former Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad in the national capital in the wake of the party’s humiliating defeat in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

Issuing a joint statement after the meeting, the leaders (18 of them) said, “We demand Congress to initiate dialogue with like-minded forces to create way for credible alternative for 2024 LS polls.”

The letter, written by the ‘Group of 23’ or ‘G-23’ leaders, said the only way forward is for the Congress to adopt the model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision-making at all levels. They said the meeting of the Congress leaders was held to deliberate on the demoralising results of the Assembly elections and constant exodus of party workers, adding the next steps in this .

The letter was signed by 18 Congress veterans, including Azad, Manish Tewari, Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor, Shankar Singh Vaghela, Sandeep Dixit, Vivek Tankha and Raj Babbar.

‘Sometimes, Modi seems to channelise his inner Vajpayee but’: Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor said if PM Modi starts to implement some of the thoughts that he has said publicly, he might serve the country better.
Shashi Tharoor said PM Modi sometimes displays certain traits like Atal Bihari Vajpayee.(PTI)

In a debate to mark the launch of a biography of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said PM Modi, at times, displayed certain traits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee by saying the right things, but the difference is that those right words have not translated into actions. “Sometimes, in his speeches, he (Modi) seems to channelise his inner Vajpayee by saying all the right things, but he does not implement them. That is the real difference,” he said.

“If only he can start implementing some of the thoughts that he has said publicly, he might serve the country better,” Tharoor said recalling PM Modi’s visit to Kashmir where he had talked about promoting tourism urging youngsters to shun terrorism.

Criticising the inherent flaw in the Parliamentay system, Tharoor said Parliament has been reduced to a notice board of government’s decision as the suggestions of the Opposition are not taken on board. “They have an automatic majority in whatever they do and if any member dares to challenge them, the person can be expelled. That is the way the system has reduced the individual Parliamentarian to an irrelevant one,” he said.

Earlier, at the Jaipur Literature Festival, as Tharoor spokes about the recently concluded elections in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, he praised PM Modi by calling him ‘a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism’. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism and has done some things which are very impressive, especially politically. We did not expect him to win with such great margins but he did,” Tharoor had said.

Shashi Tharoor calls PM Modi ‘man of tremendous vigour and dynamism’, credits BJP’s victory in UP elections to him

Shashi Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, PM Modi, Congress
Jaipur (Rajasthan): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him ‘a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism’ and gave credit to him for the BJP’s victory in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism and has done some things which are very impressive, especially politically. We did not expect him to win with such great margins but he did,” said Tharoor while interacting with the media at the Jaipur Literature Festival.Congress leader Shashi Tharoor at an event on Sunday said regarding the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections that one day, the Indian voter will surprise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but today the people have given them (BJP) what they wanted.

after the words of praise for the Prime minister, the Congress leader, however, also criticized him and said, “He has unleashed such forces in the society that are dividing our nation on communal and religious grounds which according to me is introducing a toxin that is unfortunate.” Tharoor further said that he was surprised over the political analysts describing the UP poll results as a “foregone conclusion”, and said that very few predicted BJP’s victory until the exit polls came out.

“Until the exit polls came out there was no question in my mind that most of the people were expecting a very, very close fight, and some were saying anecdotally that Samajwadi Party was ahead,” he said.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/shashi-tharoor-calls-pm-modi-man-of-tremendous-vigour-and-dynamism-credits-bjps-victory-in-up-elections-to-him

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