Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday dismissed claims that the new party president will be remote-controlled by the Gandhi family, saying the two leaders -- Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor -- in the fray are people of position, perspective and understanding and it is an insult to both that they will be under the sway of others.
Rahul was responding to a question at a press conference here on the sidelines of Bharat Jodo Yatra about allegations that whoever wins the party president election would be remote-controlled either by existing president Sonia Gandhi or him.
"Both the people who are standing have a position, have a perspective, and are people of stature and people of understanding. I don't think either of them is going to be remote controlled. Frankly, this tone is insulting to both of them," Rahul, who had refused to enter the fray despite a large number of leaders urging him to be the party chief, said.
Kharge is believed to have the support of the Gandhi family and senior leaders and is fighting against Tharoor, who has refused to exit from the race on the last day of withdrawal. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was the first choice of the central leadership but the rebellion in the state unit against installing Sachin Pilot as his successor led to him withdrawing from the race.
Asked why he was not contesting the election, he said, one should refer to the letter he sent to the leadership in 2019 after Lok Sabha poll debacle resigning as party chief to know why he does not want to be the party chief. "See my 2019 letter and you will have the answer," he said.
Rahul had in the letter said that the Congress should look beyond the Gandhis for the party chief post. In the run up to the October 17 election, Rahul had made it clear that none from the family, including his mother Sonia or sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, would not contest the polls.
With the elections now nine days away, Rahul and 40 others on Bharat Jodo Yatra will vote at a campsite in Bellary. The election day is a rest day for the yatris to enable them to cast their vote in the election.
To a question why he was opposed to the National Education Policy, he said they were opposing it because it was an attack on the ethos of the country and it destroys the history and culture of the country.
"We are opposing it because it concentrates power in the hands of a few people and centralises education in certain hands. We want a decentralised education system, we want an education system that reflects history, and our tradition and our language," he said.
Talking about his experience in the last one month, he said by nature, he and his family believe in 'tapasya' and wanted an element of suffering in this communication to people.
He said for him, the objective of the yatra from his perspective was not the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
"I am seeing India is being divided, violence is being spread in our society and this is damaging for our country. The yatra is aimed at raising three fundamental issues that are interconnected. The first issue is violence, the hatred the BJP and RSS are spreading, the division of the country that they are carrying out. The second issue is massive concentration of wealth in some hands. India is headed to an unemployment disaster. The third is the price rise," he said.