New Delhi: Unfazed by the party's gag order, defiant senior Congress leaders Manish Tewari and senior leader Rashid Alvi on Monday said they would continue to express their viewpoints even while maintaining that it's time to fight communalism and "not fight and humiliate" each other.
Stung by AICC's diktat that only designated spokespersons are authorized to speak on behalf of the party, Tewari, who was acting Chairman of the Media department till sometime back, hit back as did Alvi who was unceremoniously removed as spokesperson last year.
While Tewari said he does not require a "noun or an adjective" with his name to intervene in public discourse, Alvi said Congressmen "should not fight and humiliate each other", suggesting some sort of a rivalry among party leaders for media space.
"I ceased to be national spokesperson of the INC in Oct 2012. When I intervene in the public discourse I do as an ordinary Congress worker who has served the party for 34 yrs. There are certain core convictions I believe in.
"When they are assaulted, I do not require a noun or a adjective behind my noun to intervene in the public discourse as as a party activist I do not hold myself out as the spokesperson," Tewari said in three successive tweets.
His remarks came soon after the AICC press conference addressed by party spokesperson and general secretary Shakeel Ahmed was over in which he had said that there are 18 designated spokespersons in the party and that it is they who are authorized to give the official line of the party.
Alvi said "I always defend Congress party as an ordinary worker and I will continue to defend Congress party. I feel it is my responsibility as this is a very crucial time as the communal forces have not only taken over the country but are spreading communalism."
Alvi added “I suggest Congressmen should not fight and humiliate each other. This is a crucial time to fight unitedly against forces spreading communalism and hatred all over the country.”
Interestingly when Alvi was AICC spokesperson, Rahul Gandhi, soon after being made the Vice President of the party in Jaipur's Chintan Shivir, had hailed Alvi as one of the leaders along with then Delhi and Rajasthan Chief Ministers Sheila Dikshit and Ashok Gehlot, whose advice he valued.
While Alvi was removed as spokesperson some time after a controversial remark at an AICC briefing and could not get a renomination in Rajya Sabha, Tewari is currently a television panelist of the party.
In the absence of AICC Communication Department Chairman Ajay Maken, he had also served as acting Chairman of the department during the Lok Sabha polls.
What started the row today was Maken putting out a list of the AICC spokespersons on Twitter and saying “only the spokespersons as in the linked list are authorised to speak on behalf of the party.”
