Sonia, Rahul Gandhi responsible for tarnishing Manmohan's image, death of Congress party, says economist Jagdish Bhagwati

Noted Indian-American economist and academic Jagdish Bhagwati, Thursday, came down heavily on the Gandhi family and the dynasticism rife within the top echelons of the party.

Speaking to CNN-News18’s Bhupendra Chaubey exclusively, Bhagwati said that there were no chances of renewal of Congress party’s fate until it gets rid of the Gandhi dynasty.

“Congress party is dead. As long as the Gandhi dynasty stays, it won’t ever regroup,” Bhagwati said.

He also said there was little hope that a second-line leader could possibly revive the party, at a time when Congress is desperately looking for a chief to take over from interim president Sonia Gandhi after her son Rahul vacated the position following a poll rout in 2019 general elections.

When asked about possible alternatives to Rahul, Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi to helm the party, Bhagwati said, “I don’t see any person in the Congress who can revitalise the party.”

Bhagwati also criticised Sonia for allegedly ‘using’ former prime minister Manmohan Singh and his clean image to bolster her own son’s position in politics and in the party. All but blaming Sonia for the current state of the Congress party, Bhagwati said, “Sonia Gandhi used Manmohan Singh’s simplicity to push Rahul to the centrestage. The Gandhis should realise that they have lost the battle.”

He also said that it was Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are responsible for destroying Manmohan’s image.

Bhagwati’s comments come at a time when Congress party is struggling with a leadership crisis. Rahul, who led the party to a crushing defeat in the recent Lok Sabha polls, stepped down from his position insisting that nobody from the family should replace him. Yet, when several rounds of persuasions yielded no results, it was Sonia that Congress party turned to after the top post lay vacant for weeks. Sonia currently heads the organisation as interim chief and the search for a non-Nehru-Gandhi successor continues.