Congress daily hits back at ‘blame-Rahul’ editorial

Stung by the ‘blame-Rahul’ editorial in the Indian Union Muslim League organ, its Congress counterpart in Kerala on Thursday hit back warning the ally to stop giving lessons to India’s grand old party and its captain.

In a strongly-worded editorial, Congress daily Veekshnam said the act of IUML mouthpiece Chandrika went against political decency and morality by dubbing the spirited poll campaign mounted by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as ‘one-man show of roaming around the country.’

‘The League had no national role in the Lok Sabha polls. Its exhortation to the Congress is like giving tips to the players by sitting comfortably in the gallery,’ the Congress daily said.

It also recalled that this was not the first time that the ally was taking potshots at the Congress, oblivious of its own weakness and limited role.

Rejecting the League leaders’ clarification that the Chandrika editorial was constructive and well-intentioned, the Congress daily said, ‘We do not want the entrance coaching of the Muslim League or the home tuition of its official organ.’

Tickling the ally further, it said IUML is a party that cannot win even a single panchayat seat in West Bengal or Uttar Pradesh where Muslims account for nearly 25 per cent of the population and it would well do to shed the illusion that Kerala is India.

In a sharp comment, the League daily had yesterday said the ‘one-man show’ of Rahul Gandhi did not benefit his party in the polls as he failed to read the pulse of the people and counter the onslaught of BJP, led by Narendra Modi.

‘Mere roaming around the country was not enough... Rahul took into confidence only a few youth leaders close to him for working out the campaign strategy. 

Rahul did not learn lessons from the party’s defeat in the state assembly polls,’ the editorial titled ‘Congress needs radical changes’, said.