Khurshid dismisses ‘leadership crisis’

NEW DELHI: Amid criticism of the Congress top brass by some leaders following a poor show in the Bihar polls, senior leader Salman Khurshid on Sunday said there is no leadership crisis in the party and an all-round support for Sonia and Rahul Gandhi is “apparent to anyone who is not blind”.

Khurshid also said there are enough forums in the Congress for airing views and doing so outside the party “hurts” it, remarks that come days after senior leader Kapil Sibal and some others went public with their criticism of the party leadership.

“The leadership listens to me, I am given an opportunity, they (those criticising in the media) are given an opportunity, where does this thing come from that the leadership is not listening,” Khurshid told PTI in an interview.

Asked about comments by Sibal and another senior leader P Chidambaram on Congress’ poor showing in the Bihar election and recent bypolls, he said he cannot disagree with what they have said, but asked why does anybody have to go out and tell the media and the world that “we need to do this”.

Analysis is done all the time, there is no quarrel about analysis .... we needn’t talk about it in the public SALMAN KHURSHID, Congress leader

“Analysis is done all the time, there is no quarrel about analysis. It will be done. The leadership, of which all these people are a part, will appropriately look at what may have gone wrong, how we could have improved, and that will happen in the normal course, we needn’t talk about it in the public,” said Khurshid, a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

His remarks come days after Sibal’s public criticism of the Congress leadership and his statement that the time of introspection was over and people no longer saw the party as an effective alternative.

Asked about some leaders calling for having a full-time president, he said they should come forward and talk about it inside the party.