MAPUSA
Asserting that people in the country have tremendous faith in the leadership of the Gandhis, former chief minister of Maharashtra Sushil Kumar Shinde on Sunday said there was a thought process taking place to see beyond the Gandhi family in the leadership role.
Shinde also said that Congress went through difficult times in the past and will bounce back from the present situation.
“How things will move ahead we don’t know. But the thinking has started. Even within the Gandhi household such thinking has started,” Shinde said.
He said stalwarts like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have given a leadership which kindles hope among the masses across the length and breadth of the nation and people have a feeling that only they can do it.
“And the Congress is with them (Gandhi family),” he said.
The former chief minister was speaking to journalists while on a private visit to the residence of former union minister Ramakant Khalap in Mapusa.
Continuing, Shinde said the present situation of the Congress is nothing new for the party as it had gone through difficult times twice before.
“This is the third time that Congress is facing a problem within, and I have no doubt that the party will swing back to power sooner than later,” he said.
Stating that asking questions to those in power was viewed more as a breach of law, the former Maharashtra CM said the situation in the country was getting worse and no one could predict what could happen next.
“The situation in the country is quite precarious. The practice of asking customary questions is over and therefore we cannot say what will happen next,” said Shinde, who was also a union minister at the Centre.
He said the National Herald newspaper was being run from the time of first the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and it was unfair to suppress the Opposition.
The former CM who was on a holiday in Goa along with his family putting up in Morjim had a word of praise over the touristic State.
He said the State has seen a lot of development work on the tourism front as he has been visiting the place for the last 50 years.
