‘Sorry if we hurt Sonia’s feelings’

■ Moily stresses need for rejuvenating, restructuring Cong

“If we have hurt her (Sonia Gandhi’s) feelings, we are sorry for it,” M. Veerappa Moily, one of the 23 senior Congress leaders who sought urgent organisational reforms, said on Tuesday, asserting they never questioned her leadership.

At the same time, the former Union minister defended being a signatory to the letter addressed to the interim Congress president, as he stressed the need for rejuvenating and restructuring the party.

Mr Moily also disapproved of the media leak of the letter and called for an internal party enquiry to find out those behind it and wanted them to be punished.

The former Karnataka chief minister asserted that none of 23 leaders have any intention to leave the Congress.

“We have never questioned the leadership of Soniaji,” Moily told PTI in an interview, a day after the Congress Working Committee in a meeting prompted by the letter unanimously resolved to strengthen the hands of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in every possible way.

The partys top decisionmaking body also made it clear no one will be permitted to undermine or weaken the party and its leadership.

“Soniaji is like a mother to the party. We revere her even now. There is no question of any intention to hurt her feelings. If we have hurt her feelings, we are sorry for it,” Moily said. In her concluding remarks at the CWC meeting, Sonia had agreed to continue but said this arrangement cannot remain “open ended”, as the new party chief has to be selected soon.

Soniaji is like a mother to the party. We revere her even now. There is no question of any intention to hurt her feelings. If we have hurt her feelings, we are sorry for it — M. Veerappa Moily, Senior Congress leader