Cong president election: It's not a contest but race to find 'Parivar ka naya remote control', says BJP

New Delhi: After Ashok Gehlot withdrew from the Congress presidential race, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday said that this was never an "election" to begin with but a selection of the most convenient "remote control".
"Since Gehlot, who was a trusted loyalist until now, had done "bewafai" (betrayal) with the Parivar (Gandhi family) in Jaipur on Sunday he was no longer eligible to become the Congress President. It proves that this was never a free and fair election but a selection of the most convenient darbari (guard) who could be a remote control for the Gandhis," said Poonawalla. Taking a jibe, he said, "Gustakh e parivar ki ek hi saza, Gehlot adhyakshta se juda" (the penalty for disobeying the high command was that Gehlot was out of the Congress president race.)
Poonawalla said that this confirmed what has been said all along- this was a fake and fabricated and sham exercise.

"How 5 Congress MPs had written to the Congress about the veracity of the electoral rolls and delegates. P Chidambaram had let the cat out of the bag when he said that 'whoever is the next president - Gandhis will have a preeminent position," he said.
According to Poonawalla, this was yet another proof of how the match was fixed and now that Gehlot is out perhaps a new "dummy candidate" will be chosen to replace him while reacting to developments about Digvijaya Singh also entering the fray.
He added that the AICC was actually the All India Confused Committee and whether it is within the party or in the state of Rajasthan - confusion to hold on to power had led to an utter mess.
The BJP leader further added that in 2023 people of Rajasthan will punish the Congress for creating this instability and for ignoring the real issues of Rajasthan.

He added that Rajasthan has become "Governance mukt" and Congress was always "democracy and elections mukt".
BJP leader Amit Malviya also took jibe at Congress and said that Ashok Gehlot saved himself from the embarrassment of being a remote-controlled Congress President
"Ashok Gehlot is a consummate politician: retained his CMship; saved himself from the embarrassment of being a remote controlled Congress President; checkmated Sachin Pilot, again; keeps the option of breaking the Congress in Rajasthan and contesting 2023; shred the aura of invincibility around Sonia Gandhi," Malviya said in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that he will not fight for the post of Congress chief.
His remarks came after the veteran leader met with party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence at 10 Janpath in the national capital.
"I met Rahul Gandhi in Kochi and requested him to fight the polls (for Congress President). When he didn't accept, I said I'll contest but now with that incident (political crisis in Rajasthan), I have decided not to contest the elections," CM Gehlot said.
Gehlot also apologised for the ruckus in Rajasthan triggered by his loyalists over a possible leadership change in the state after Gehlot was set to file his nomination papers for the Congress chief polls.

Gehlot said that whatever happened in the state in the past two days had shocked everyone.
Also, today Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh collected his nomination papers and announced that he is likely to file his nominations tomorrow between 11 am to 3 pm.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has announced that he will submit his nomination for the post at 12.15 pm tomorrow.
The filing of nominations for the top Congress post will take place till September 30 and the election will take place on October 17. (ANI)