Lucknow: Congress paid tribute to Sitaram Kesri, the controversial successor to Sonia Gandhi who was ousted from the social gathering president’s publish in 1998, for the primary time since his dying 25 years in the past. On Friday, Rahul Gandhi led a memorial service on the social gathering headquarters and laid flowers on Kesri’s dying anniversary.
Sitaram Kesri, who served as Congress president from 1996 to 1998, was eliminated resulting from a collection of electoral defeats and weak management, although his successor Sonia Gandhi campaigned for the social gathering within the 1998 normal elections. After Kesri handed away on October 24, 2000, a Congress delegation witnessed his cremation in Danapur. Formally, nevertheless, the social gathering has reportedly not celebrated his start or dying anniversary to date resulting from uneasy relations with the Congress management.
The present timing of the memorial coincides with parliamentary campaigning forward of November’s meeting polls in Kesri’s house state of Bihar. This was to not be missed.
On the identical day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a rally in Begusarai, accused the Gandhi household: ‘insulted’ Kesri. On March 14, 1998, Kesri was reportedly locked within the toilet whereas Congress leaders have been holding a working committee assembly, after which they changed him with Sonia Gandhi.
“As we speak is former Congress president Sitaram Kesri’s dying anniversary. The nation will always remember how this Congress household insulted him. Today reminds us how far Congress will go to disenfranchise Dalits and backward lessons. The one factor that issues to them is their very own household,” PM Modi stated.
“Sitaram Kesri was the delight of Bihar. This household locked him within the toilet of their home and even threw him on the pavement. They snatched the publish of Congress president from him,” he added.
With the Bihar elections simply across the nook, many are questioning the timing of the Congress’ gesture.
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Kesri monument
The Print has discovered that Rahul Gandhi, after paying floral tributes on the social gathering headquarters, invited Sitaram Kesri’s household to his residence and directed KC Venugopal to take care of common contact with the household.
A senior official of the occasion later advised ThePrint, “Kesri’s grandson Rakesh Kesri wrote letters to Mallikarjun Kharji, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi requesting them to carry a program on the AICC headquarters on this event (Kesri’s dying anniversary). Inside a couple of days, Rakesh Kesri obtained a name from Kharji.” previous man’s Workplace confirms that occasion shall be held in Rahul’s presence character”
In the meantime, Bharatiya Janata Social gathering spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla advised ThePrint that the Congress’s remembrance of Sitaram Kesri will solely reassure OBC and Dalit voters in Bihar, provided that Kesri was a distinguished OBC chief from Danapur. Different critics agreed with him.
Congress chief Imran Masood dismissed such claims and advised ThePrint that the social gathering’s gesture was to indicate respect to the previous chief and had nothing to do with the upcoming Bihar elections. He described this as a constructive initiative by the highest management.
On March 14, 1998, Sitaram Kesri was eliminated as social gathering chief in a controversial CWC assembly reportedly led by leaders such because the late Pranab Mukherjee, however ugly episodes ensued. Some social gathering members allegedly yelled at Kesri and tried to tear off her dhoti and harm her automotive earlier than she returned house.
Political observers now see the Congress’ renewed curiosity in Kesri as a calculated effort to reclaim the Bihar-born chief’s legacy of championing social justice forward of the Bihar polls.
In his guide, “24 Akbar Avenue—A Brief Historical past of the Individuals Behind the Decline and Rise of the Congress“Kesri died a shaken and disillusioned man. He couldn’t settle for himself for his unceremonious ostracism. He had a lot to say, however suffered an bronchial asthma assault and subsequently fell right into a coma. Kesri met his finish on October 24, 2000. He was 81 years previous. His devoted canine Ruchi handed away the identical night time,” writes Rashid Kidwai.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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