New Delhi: A day after he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress veteran SM Krishna on Thursday said that the grand old party must end its obsession with the Gandhi dynasty adding that it was impossible for it to “ever recover lost ground.”
“Congress needs to be rebuilt from the ground to the top, but I see no seriousness in the current leadership. The party is still clinging to dynasty politics. There is no connect between the Congress leadership and the rank and file of the party,” Krishna, 84, said.
On Wednesday, he joined BJP and stated that he would like to rededicate himself to the cause of the nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Thursday, referring to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Krishna said “politics cannot be a part-time job, there is a clear disconnect.”
He said he was prepared for any criticism over his decision to join BJP.
“Whatever I did or said, there is going to be opposition to that. So if someone says I have been doing opportunistic politics, it is for the people to decide if it is so, or by my sense of commitment to the country,” he said.
Former External Affairs Minister Krishna said, “all that I needed was respect and periodical consultations, I never demanded any position from Congress or BJP.”
Heaping praise on Modi, Krishna said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has zero tolerance towards corruption, I was impressed with this. I also supported his historic demonetisation move.”
Reacting to Krishna’s statement, Congress said his ouster from the party was not loss for them.
“SM Krishna is a good administrator and he did good work in his regime, but him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party is not loss for the Congress. We lost a good leader, but we are not losing anything,” Congress leader NA Harris told media.
“Krishna spent so many years with the Congress and if he wants that the Congress guarantees him chief minister post at this age, then I think it is not necessary that all the wishes of a person get fulfilled in politics,” Congress leader Meem Afzal told Gulf News.
Krishna had announced his resignation from Congress on January 29, stating that the party was in a “state of confusion” on whether or not it needed mass leaders.
He was the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004, and had returned to state politics after stepping down as External Affairs Minister in 2012. He also served as the Governor of Maharashtra.
His defection, which comes a year ahead of the state legislative assembly election in Karnataka, could help strengthen BJP campaign in the state. BJP has been struggling to make inroads in south Karnataka, where Krishna happens to be an influential leader among the dominant Vokkaliga community.
