Kharge, Tharoor people of stature, can't be remote-controlled: Rahul

New Delhi: Dismissing the 'propaganda' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to project both the candidates fighting for the Congress chief post as 'powerless', party's former president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said whoever is elected as the party's new president will have a free hand in taking decisions and running the organisation.

While interacting with the reporters during the Karnataka leg of his party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', Rahul Gandhi said: "Both the nominees — Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor — contesting for Congress presidential elections have a position as well as their own perspectives." "Frankly, this tone is insulting to both of them," Gandhi added.

Earlier on Friday, the BJP took a swipe at the Congress after senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge emerged as the favourite to win the poll for party president, suggesting that he will be a "proxy" and "remote-controlled".

Further explaining his party's stand, Gandhi said: "We are not a fascist party. We are a party that believes in conversation and we welcome different viewpoints. We do know that in order to win elections we will have to work as a team."

"Our constitution states that Bharat is a union of states. It means all our languages, states and traditions have an equally important space. That is the nature of our country. Spreading hatred and violence in the country is an anti-national act. We will fight anybody who spreads hatred and violence," he stressed.

Hitting out at the BJP, Rahul Gandhi added: "The BJP is singularly dividing the nation and is spreading hatred. These are not the things that will help the nation.

That is why we are doing the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. Also, it's not just me who is doing the yatra, there are lakhs and lakhs of people who are doing the Bharat Jodo Yatra."

Notably, after a gap of 22 years, elections to the Congress president's post will be held on October 17. Senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are the two candidates fighting for the top post. Counting of votes will be done on October 19.

Rejecting the remarks made by the BJP, Kharge said that there is no such thing as "remote control" in his party unlike the BJP, where every president is selected through a "consensus". Senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala, former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah were also present at the media session.