Ramesh Says He Was Misquoted On Sonia Remarks

The Congress yesterday explained that its economic department member, Jairam Ramesh, had been misquoted by the media in saying that the party could not hope to come to power for another 50 years under Sonia Gandhi's leadership.

Ramesh wrote a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday evening explaining that he had been quoted out of context by the Asiaweek correspondent who had interviewed him recently.

He further said that the Hindustan Times had reported that interview incorrectly.

The party took the extraordinary step of naming the newspaper and the correspondent during its daily briefing. Margaret Alva, who was briefing the media yesterday, was faced with flak over the allegations of misreporting.

 

Ramesh maintained in his letter to Gandhi that he had stated to the interviewer that, given the state of affairs in four states, UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the party could not hope to come to power on its own at the centre for another 50 years.

Ramesh also explained that he was talking about a section of Congress leaders when he stated that those who had seen Gandhi as a ticket to power now saw her as a ticket to hell. He held that he had not meant this as criticism of her or her leadership.

Alva said the matter now rests with Gandhi for action but Alva's attitude suggested that the party was in a mood to condone the controversial interview. A statement from Congress Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal some weeks ago, on drift in the party, was also overlooked.

The party's leaders have been agog about these statements, coming as they do from the upper class intellectuals that Gandhi had initially promoted in the party and with whom she sought to identify herself when she first took charge. Sibal was nominated to speak for the party during the last general elections.

Ramesh's provocative statements also raised eyebrows because of the recent signs that the party is in the process of reversing its reform-oriented economic policies, of which Ramesh - along with former finance minister Manmohan Singh - has been a strong votary.

Gandhi recently appointed a committee of relatively Left-leaning leaders to review the party's economic stances.