Patna (Bihar) [India], April 21 : Janshakti Janta Dal Founder Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday pitched for Priyanka Gandhi's leadership for Congress, expressing disbelief in Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's ability to lead the party.
"Only Priyanka Gandhi can run it; she is like Indira Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi se chalne wala nhi hai (Rahul Gandhi can't run it) by going on a yatra, by sitting on a Bullet, Nitish Kumar ji left, someone else became CM, What's his motive?" he said.
Tej Pratap Yadav's remark came in response to Rahul Gandhi's allegation of Nitish Kumar being "compromised" after the Janata Dal (United) chief's recent exit from state politics. BJP's Samrat Choudhary replaced Nitish Kumar as Bihar CM.
This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi's leadership has been questioned. In January of this year, former Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed alleged that there's "no internal democracy" in Congress and Rahul Gandhi wants to "throw out" the senior leadership of the party.
The former Union Minister lashed out at the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, claiming the latter is "uncomfortable" in collaborating with popular, veteran leaders.
"There are many leaders in Congress who have been politicians long before Rahul Gandhi became one. The day Rahul Gandhi ji won his first election, I won my fifth election. I believe he is uncomfortable sitting with those who don't think of him as their boss. I have felt this for a long time, but when you stay in party you don't say such things," Ahmad told ANI.
He also alleged that Rahul Gandhi has a sense of superiority because of his Nehru-Gandhi lineage.
Ahmed also alleged, "There is no internal democracy in the Congress party...In the Congress party, whatever Rahul Gandhi says is final."
He further added that Gandhi had kept the youth Congress and NSUI together to "throw out" the senior leadership.
"Rahul Gandhi has kept the youth Congress and NSUI together as he wants to throw the senior established leaders out of the Congress party and replace them with leaders of the youth Congress and those who speak well of Rahul Gandhi," he said.