Congress prez poll: Kharge, Tharoor people of stature, can’t be remote controlled, says Rahul

NEW DELHI: Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are both people of stature, and cannot be “remote controlled,” Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has said.
He was responding to criticism from some quarters that the two contenders for the post of Congress president will have little power as the party chief.
“Both the people who are standing (in the polls) have a position, have a perspective and are people of stature and people of understanding. I don’t think either of them is going to be a remote control (chief) and frankly, this tone is insulting to both of them.”
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Tharoor and Kharge will face off in the election for the Congress president’s post on October 17, with the results scheduled for the 19th. It is widely believed that Kharge has the backing of the Gandhi family, and is certain to win the election.
Tharoor has sought votes on the plank of affecting a change in the manner the party is run.
Rahul’s comments come just a day after Mallikarjun Kharge had said the Congress president is not “remote controlled” by Sonia Gandhi or anyone else of the family. Kharge was also critical of the BJP, saying the party’s presidents are selected by consensus rather than by a democratic election process.
Rahul Gandhi is currently traversing the Karnataka leg of the Bharat Jodo yatra, after passing through Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The yatra will cover a distance of nearly 3,500 km and end in Kashmir
The BJP and its allies have been saying that the Congress president is essentially an ornamental post with little power, and the Gandhi family wielding de facto control over the party.