New Delhi : The Congress leadership was struggling with this malady for quite some time. Two of its former spokespersons Manish Tewari, also an ex-I&B minister as well as Rashid Alvi, would voice opinions on key issues that ran counter to the line trotted out by designated spokespersons.
Then there would be questions about lack of discipline and the party speaking in different voices much to its general embarrassment.
Interestingly, as Tewari and Alvi grabbed media attention the official line would be relegated to obscurity.
In a snub to Alvi, Tewari, Cong says they are not our voice anymore
But then these were not the only two ”offenders” and even senior general secretaries like Digvijay Singh and Janardan Dwivedi (one-time chief spokesperson) also violated the code and spoke out of turn.
So long the party overlooked these aberrations. But today Shakeel Ahmed re-issued a list 18 spokespersons with the official tag. “Only with these persons you should use the description that they express the party view and not with others,” he told media persons.
Clearly the party leadership did not succeed in ensuring that Tewari and Alvi who have their daily dose of freedom of expression keep within the limits. So it had to strip them of this status of being the party”s voice.
PTI adds: Meanwhile, unfazed by the party’s gag order, a defiant Tewari and Alvi said they would continue to express their viewpoints even while maintaining that it’s time to fight communalism and “not fight and humiliate” each other.
Stung by AICC’s diktat, Tewari, who was acting Chairman of the Media department till sometime ago, hit back as did Alvi who was unceremoniously removed as spokesperson last year.
While Tewari said he does not require a “noun or an adjective” with his name to intervene in public discourse, Alvi said Congressmen “should not fight and humiliate each other”, suggesting some sort of a rivalry among party leaders for media space.
“I ceased to be national spokesperson of the INC in Oct 2012. When I intervene in the public discourse I do as an ordinary Cong worker who has served the party for 34 yrs.
There are certain core convictions I believe in.
“When they are assaulted, I do not require a noun or a adjective behind my noun to intervene in the public discourse as as a party activist I do not hold myself out as the spokesperson,” Tewari said in three successive tweets.
Alvi said “I always defend Congress party as an ordinary worker and I will continue to defend Congress party. I feel it is my responsibility as this is a very crucial time as the communal
