In a bid to pacify internal controversies, Congress on Friday has urged all the spokespersons to refrain from commenting on any colleague contesting the elections.
According to sources, Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary-in-charge Communications said, "I would strongly urge all spokespersons and office bearers of Communications Department of AICC to refrain from making any comment of any kind on any colleague of ours contesting the elections for the post of Congress president."
He has also asked the party members to highlight instead the demoratic values that the party upholds. "We all have our individual preferences but our job is to only highlight that the Congress is the only political party to have a democratic and transparent system in place for election to the post of its president," Ramesh said.
Congress leader and one of the party spokesperons Gourav Vallabh on Thursday launched an attack on Shashi Tharoor ahead of the upcoming poll for the presidential post of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and said that his "only major contribution" to the party was to send letters to Sonia Gandhi when she was hospitalised.
Vallabh also backed Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, another likely frontrunner for the key party post.
According to media reports, Congress leaders believe that Gehlot, who has the experience of a Union Minister, three times chief minister and has defeated Narendra Modi-Amit Shah in a direct contest, could be more eligible for the post.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, Vallabh said, "Like crores of workers, my first wish is that Rahul Gandhi ji should provide his leadership to the Congress and the country. But if Rahul Gandhi ji remains steadfast on his decision (of not taking up the Congress chief post) and one has to choose between the two names that are appearing in public discussion, then there is no comparison between the two," Vallabh said in a series of tweets in Hindi."
On the contrary, taking a jibe at Tharoor, he further added in Hindi, "On the other hand there is Shashi Tharoor sahib who has made only one major contribution to the party in the last eight years -- sent letters to Congress President Sonia Gandhi ji when she was hospitalised, this act caused pain to crores of party workers like me."
The upcoming polls would be historic as the new chief would replace Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party president. The party last saw a contest for the post of president in November 2000 in which Jitendra Prasada lost to Sonia Gandhi.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is reportedly being favoured by top Congress leadership as a potential frontrunner for the post. On Tuesday, Gehlot told Congress MLAs that they will be asked to come to Delhi if he decides to file his nomination for the party president post. But he will first visit Kochi to persuade Rahul Gandhi, who has reportedly decided to not run for the President's post. Gehlot had earlier denied that he is a candidate and has been saying that he will try and convince Rahul Gandhi to lead the party.
Gehlot is perceived to have the backing and confidence of the Gandhis and is likely to be challenged by a G-23 member Shashi Tharoor, who has expressed his desire to contest. Tharoor had met Sonia Gandhi on Monday and expressed his intention to contest the poll. The Congress president is learnt to have conveyed to Tharoor that she would stay "neutral" in the elections.
