Sonia gets Antony to tick off MPs: Don’t speak out of line

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27

Battling indiscipline and out-of-line comments by leaders on policy as well as personal issues, the Congress leadership today sent out a message to all its MPs to toe the party line and not speak out of turn.

In a letter to all MPs today, disciplinary action committee chairman AK Antony asked colleagues not to speak on state-related issues and let that responsibility be performed by general secretaries in charge of states. The letter was sent on the instructions of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. A few days ago, the Congress leadership got an internal circular issued to all officer-bearers, asking them to maintain party discipline and not speak on matters when they are not authorised to do so.

In a separate development, Kamal Nath, Congress general secretary, Haryana, met top state leaders and told them that he would not accept their bickering in the media any more. Antony’s letter comes close on the heels of former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s comments that greater autonomy should be restored to Kashmir.

To the embarrassment of the Congress, Rajya Sabha member Chidambaram recently advocated returning to the “grand bargain under which Kashmir had acceded to India” and give the state a larger share of autonomy. The party has had to distance itself from the comment with Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and former JK Chief Minister, saying: “Everyone should toe the party position on issues.”

Antony’s letter, in possession of The Tribune, says: “It has been observed that some members have made contradictory statements to the media on the recent political developments in the country. While diverging views are welcome during internal party deliberations, making conflicting opinion in public does not augur well for the party’s image. I request each of you to avoid making any statement that is not so consistent with the established stand of the party. It is also suggested that respective party general secretaries and in charges speak on behalf of the part pertaining to matters in their jurisdiction. At the national level only authorized spokespersons can speak on the behalf of the party.”

Even earlier, AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh has frequently made statements that go against the party lines on a range of issues.

In the Haryana meeting attended by state chief Ashok Tanwar, Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Choudhry, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda and former acting state unit chief Kuldeep Sharma, Kamal Nath is learnt to said that leaders who go to the press should speak against the BJP and not one another, and told everyone he won’t tolerate breach of party line.