Former Congress leader Sanjay Jha has been a vocal critic of the party's way of handling crises in recent years, even as he maintains that his allegiance lies with the party ideology. He had criticised the party amid the political debacle in Rajasthan earlier this year, and written a newspaper article criticising the party's "lackadaisical attitude towards its own political obsolescence". In mid-June Jha was removed as a party spokesperson. Soon after, as he continued to maintain his stance, he was suspended from the party's primary membership.
Since then, Jha has taken a stance differing from that of the Congress on several occasions, even criticising the party's actions in the wake of the Bihar elections.
On Wednesday, he took to Twitter with a fresh message for those questioning the party's actions, urging them to "speak up".
"The real danger to the Congress comes from thèse darbari craven cowards desperate to demonstrate loyalty. If you care for the Congress and India, this is the time to save the Gandhi-Nehru legacy. Speak up!" he tweeted.
While Jha does not name any individual in his post, his comments come a day after Congress leader Kapil Sibal sparked controversy after raising concerns over electoral defeats and crticised the leadership. In an interview with a leading daily newspaper, advocated the need for introspection within the party in light of the results of the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections and the Madhya Pradesh by-polls.
This has however not gone down well with all. While some appear to be in favour of changes, others including party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have hit out at Sibal. Adhir has said that speaking without doing anything doesn't mean introspection. "Had Kapil Sibal gone to Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, he could have proved that what he is saying is correct and that he strengthened the position of Congress. Mere talk will achieve nothing. Speaking without doing anything doesn't mean introspection," Chowdhury said.
(With inputs from agencies)
