'Service, commitment, ethics': Revanth Reddy praises Sonia Gandhi amid Digvijaya Singh's RSS post; lauds Congress

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing controversy over Digvijaya Singh's remarks praising the RSS’s organisational strength, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Revanth Reddy hailed Sonia Gandhi's role in Congress leadership, citing examples of elevation of Manmohan Singh and P V Narasimha Rao to the post of Prime Minister.In a social media post on X, Reddy, on the 140th foundation day of the Congress, said that the party “has shaped every defining chapter of modern India.” “Congress: a force for the people of India was born 140 years ago on this day. The story of the Indian National Congress is the story of Indian democracy in motion. When one reflects on the leadership of Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji, we find service, commitment, ethics and values,” Reddy said.“Under Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji’s leadership, it became possible for Shri P V Narasimha Rao garu, who started his public career from a remote village in Telangana, to rise to become Prime Minister of the country. Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji also made an economist like Dr Manmohan Singh Ji the Prime Minister. From leading India’s freedom struggle to framing the Constitution, from building democratic institutions to uniting a diverse nation, the Indian National Congress has shaped every defining chapter of modern India,” he added.This comes after Digvijaya Singh stirred a controversy by sharing a black-and-white photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting on the floor near senior BJP leader L K Advani in Gujarat.Singh commented on the ability of grassroots workers to ascend through the ranks to become chief minister and eventually Prime Minister, attributing it to the “power of organisation.”He tagged several senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Prime Minister Modi, and the official Congress handles.Reportedly, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister rued “over-centralisation” in the Congress and pushed for decentralisation in the presence of top leadership at the CWC meeting held on Saturday.He also complained that district and state chiefs were appointed by the AICC and questioned why decisions taken at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir, including setting up an election management department, had not been implemented.Last week, Singh had also praised Rahul Gandhi for his stance on socio-economic issues, giving him “full marks,” while calling for internal reforms within the Congress. Drawing a parallel with Rahul Gandhi’s push for Election Commission reforms, Singh argued that the party itself needed similar changes.In another post on X, he wrote, “Rahul ji, you are absolutely ‘bang on’ in matters of socio-economic issues. Full marks. But now please look at Congress also. Like the Election Commission needs reforms, so does the Indian National Congress. You have started with ‘Sangathan Srijan’, but we need more pragmatic, decentralised functioning.”He added, “I am sure you would do it because I know you can do it. The only problem is that it is not easy to ‘convince’ you!!”