Rahul Gandhi responds to G-23, says Congress party needs to be open to their ideas

Taking part in a Zoom conversation with Professor Kaushik Basu of Cornell University, Rahul Gandhi said he has always believed that democratic election within the party was absolutely critical.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has responded to the allegations raised by the 'Group of 23' party leaders who have called for systemic changes and democracy within the Grand Old Party.
 

Taking part in a Zoom conversation with Professor Kaushik Basu of Cornell University, Rahul Gandhi said he has always believed that democratic election within the party was absolutely critical.
 

"I have been pushing for this (internal democracy) in the Congress party for a decade. I am a person who pushed for elections in the youth organisations and in the student organisations. I got a serious beating in the press. I was literally crucified for doing elections. I was attacked by my own party people. So I am the first person to say that democratic election within the party is absolutely critical," Rahul Gandhi said.
 

The G-23 leaders have been demanding an overhaul of the Congress's internal system and an open election for the party's president's post.

The Wayanad MP wondered why the same question (about party democracy) was not being asked from any other political party. 
 

"Nobody asked why is there no internal democracy in the BJP, BSP and Samajwadi Party. But there is a reason for that. We are an ideological formation. We are an ideological party. Our ideology is the ideology of the Constitution. So it is more important for us to be democratic," he said.
 

Asked about his vision for the Congress party, Rahul said the focus should be on "gathering the resistance."

"There is resistance on all fronts. Many different types of people, many different types of ideas. Congress party needs to have the humility to absorb them, it needs to have the flexibility to absorb them, it needs to have the respect to absorbing them. Congress party will have to change itself, it will have to transform itself," the Congress leader said.
 

When the Congress party was started, it was basically to bring together the resistance. We used to call it passive resistance in those days because we were not into the violent kind of resistance. So we will not do anything nastily, but all politely and nicely," Rahul said.
 

"Since the party has to submit itself to the Indian people. It has to open itself to the Indian people. and it has to be humble because it is fighting arrogance. It is not an easy transformation, but it is in our DNA to do it. There are many people who are not happy with what is going on. We have to be open and affectionate and we have to carry all these forces." he added.