Congress only party with system of electing President, says Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said that his party is the only one in the country which has a system for electing its President.

Talking to media persons on the sidelines of Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said that the Congress' greatest contribution to Indian politics has been consensus, and "when that is not made possible, we have an election".

"Only our party has the tradition of electing party President. The other parties do not have elections to this effect. Our party has a system. It does not matter whether Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge or former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor win the elections," he said.

On the candidates, he said: "I don't want to speak personally.. I know Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge as well. We don't have Dalit and other things. One should not see things with the dimension of being a Dalit. All dimensions should be looked at.

"Kharge has five decades of experience in politics. He should be considered and looked at from all dimensions. Kharge has all eligibility. Similarly, Shashi Tharoor has also all required eligibility," he said.

"Everything happening in the Congress is a sideshow. The main show is only Bharat Jodo Yatra. This is bringing the transformation in Indian politics," he said, going to term the Congress programme as "Sanjeevni".

Referring to the victory of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's victory in Chikkamagalur in crucial parliamentary elections, Ramesh said that as the Congress then got "Sanjeevni" in Chikkamagalur elections, the party is going to get it with Bharat Jodo Yatra this time.

Meanwhile, party leader Rahul Gandhi interacted with the tribals and families of those who lost their lives due to lack of oxygen in the Chamarajanagar District Hospital during the peak of the Covid-19.

The tribals demanded that they should be allowed to collect permissible forest products in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve forest. They also demanded that MM Hills forest region should not be declared as a tiger reserve, and Gandhi responded to them positively.

The families of the oxygen tragedy victims narrated their ordeal and stated that the ruling BJP is claiming that the deaths have not taken place due to lack of oxygen. They also demanded that their family members should be given government jobs.

Gandhi assured them that as soon as the Congress comes to power, his first priority would be to provide them government jobs.

--IANS

mka/vd