His remarks are significant as there has been criticism that lack of communication was one of the reasons for the party's debacle in Lok Sabha elections.
Asked whether he was disappointed by the fact that Sonia has ceded the space and left it to her son, he said, “The question must be put to her. But I think the creation of the post of Vice President and installing Rahul Gandhi to that post was a deliberate strategy to handover the baton to next generation of leadership.”
This, he said, was happening at every level. “I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I think the decision in Jaipur was perhaps the correct decision welcomed with great enthusiasm not only in the party but even from people outside the party.”
On the issue of leadership, he said, “The most acceptable leader of the party of my generation is Sonia Gandhi and I think among the younger members of the party, there is wide acceptance of Rahul Gandhi. That does not mean other leaders cannot or should not emerge.”
The Congress leader also dismissed Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys' remarks that disclosure of the names of blackmoney account holders can embarrass Congress amid speculation that the list could include a former UPA minister.
“These are individual transgressions, individual violations of law. Individual should be embarassed. Why should the party be embarrassed… I do not but if there is the name of any minister, it will embarrass him. Why should it embarass the party. He is not keeping the account of the party. The party did not authorise him to keep that account” he said.
Chidambaram alleged that the government's affidavit in the Supreme Court arguing that it cannot disclose the names was “clearly a U-turn” of BJP's earlier position on the issue as it had criticised the UPA government on the same position.
