Congress terms Advani’s comments ‘frustrated outbursts’

NEW DELHI - The Congress Saturday hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advanis criticism of the ruling party as a “family monopoly”, terming them as “frustrated outbursts” from a person who is now a “permanent prime minister in waiting”.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that Advani was doing all he could to remain in the news.

“These are the frustrated outbursts of the person, who has used the same allegations to make a bid for the prime minister’s office but has instead been reduced to the permanent position of PM in waiting,” said Singhvi.

In a post on his blog, Advani noted that even Mahatma Gandhi had only become Congress president at its 1924 annual session in Belgaum. “How much things have changed since! Nowadays, Party Presidentship seems to have become a family monopoly, and that too for life!” he wrote, referring to Sonia Gandhi being Congress president since 1998.

Singhvi said these allegations were repetitive. Both the wine and bottle are old, he said.

Noting the Congress had regular internal elections, he said: “Sonia Gandhi has been elected party president repeatedly in free and fair elections.”