Jaipur: Taking a jibe at some senior leaders leaving the Congress, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Wednesday that it hardly matters who is leaving the party.
“Rahul Gandhi had once said that those who want to go should go so that the rest can at least work. Even if you stay in the party, you will continue speaking bad about it. So, it’s better if you go out. Anyone who wants to join the party is welcome, and anyone who wants to go is also welcome,” Gehlot said while interacting with the media at the Congress headquarters here.
Gehlot’s comments came a day after R.P.N. Singh, one of Congress’ prominent faces in Uttar Pradesh, quit the party and joined the BJP, days ahead of next month’s Assembly elections in the state.
Gehlot said that Congress has a history of 135 years and it is like an ocean. Many people left the party and had to come back later, he added.
Gehlot also said that Congress is the only party which has a pan-India presence, while the rest of the parties wield power in some pockets.
“No one speaks of the BJP in the northeast. In the southern states too, the saffron party has no presence. The Congress may not be in power, but it has marked its presence in every house. That’s why it doesn’t matter who deserts the party,” the Chief Minister said.