Senior Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said he felt "hurt and helpless" to see Congress workers protesting outside party leader Kapil Sibal's house.
Expressing disappointment over the current political mess within the grand old party, Chidambaram said he feels "helpless" when one cannot start "meaningful conversations" within party forums.
On Wednesday, Congress workers protested outside Sibal's house and reportedly damaged a car, after he raised questions over the party's functioning and attacked its leadership.
Taking to Twitter, the senior leader wrote: "I feel helpless when we cannot start meaningful conversations within party forums. I also feel hurt and helpless when I see pictures of Congress workers raising slogans outside the residence of a colleague and MP. The safe harbour to which one can withdraw seems to be silence."
Earlier in the day, several Congress leaders of the 'Group of 23', which had last year written to party chief Sonia Gandhi demanding an organisational overhaul, strongly condemned the attack on their colleague Kapil Sibal's house and termed it as "orchestrated hooliganism".
Senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vivek Tankha and Raj Babbar were among those who rallied behind Sibal, with Sharma asking Gandhi to take strong action against those involved.
Azad, former leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, strongly condemned the "orchestrated hooliganism" at Sibal's residence.
"He (Sibal) is a loyal Congressman fighting for the party both inside and outside Parliament. Any suggestion from any quarter should be welcomed instead of suppressing, hooliganism is unacceptable," tweeted Azad, who along with Sibal is part of the 'Group of 23' which last year had written to Gandhi seeking organisational overhaul of the party.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "Orchestrated hooliganism outside Kapil Sibal's residence last night is not the culture of the Congress." "If one has any difference of views, the same should be brought up and discussed at party forum," he said on Twitter.
Asserting that difference in opinion and perception are integral to a democracy, Sharma, also a part of the G-23, said intolerance and violence is alien to Congress values and culture.
"Shocked and disgusted to hear the news of attack and hooliganism at Kapil Sibal's house. This deplorable action brings disrepute to the party and needs to be strongly condemned," Sharma said in a series of tweets.
He asserted that the Congress has a history of upholding freedom of expression. Those responsible must be identified and disciplined, Sharma said.
"Urging Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take cognisance and strong action," he said in a tweet.
Taking to Twitter, Congress MP from Punjab, Manish Tewari, unequivocally condemned what he said was "orchestrated hooliganism" at Sibal's residence last night. "Those who masterminded the assault must bear in mind that he fights for @INCIndia both inside and outside courts of law. You may find his views uncomfortable but that cannot be a license for violence," Tewari, who is a part of the 23 leaders who wrote to Gandhi last year, said.
(With PTI inputs)
