New Delhi : With Sonia Gandhi set to become Congress president for the fourth consecutive term, BJP on Thursday said she should offer the chair of party chief to somebody outside the Gandhi family just as she had "sacrificed" the post of Prime Minister.
"Sonia Gandhi is going to become President of the Congress for the fourth time. Obviously there would be no opposition. In accordance with the Congress constitution, no office-bearer can become the president of any block, district or state unit for more than two terms," BJP Chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Gandhi is likely to be declared elected to the post of Congress President tomorrow when scrutiny of nominations are carried out, making her the longest serving chief of her party.
"If Congress is a democratic party, as they claim, then it is high time in accordance with the spirit of their own constitution that the same prohibition ought to be applicable in case of their national president as well," Prasad said. He alleged that Gandhi was the "tallest leader" of her party exercising authority without any public accountability.
"Congress leaders always claim that she sacrificed the office of Prime Minister. In that event, it is all the more obligatory for her that in accordance with the self-proclaimed democratic tradition and spirit of her party constitution, she should offer the post of all-India President to anyone outside the Gandhi family," Prasad said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said BJP believes there are eminent Congress leaders available outside the family who can occupy that post. He maintained that BJP had a democratic system of electing its office-bearers.
"I need to inform the Congress party that as per BJP Constitution, any president - be it at the block, district, state or national level - gets only one term of three years," Prasad said. PTI
