Former Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on Sunday held Rahul Gandhi responsible for the party's downfall in the past few years. He said as long as Gandhi is there, no one can save the grand old party. "The only person responsible for the destruction of the Congress Party is Rahul Gandhi and till the time he is in the party, no one can save the Congress," he said when asked about another senior leader's (Suresh Pachouri) exit from the party in Madhya Pradesh.
On Saturday, former Union Minister and Congress leader Suresh Pachouri and former MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi joined the BJP. Pachouri, 71, a long-time associate of the Gandhi family, had a notable political career, having served as minister of state for defence, and as a four-time Rajya Sabha member.
After joining the BJP, Pachouri said he had entered politics to serve the society and the Congress would talk about establishing a casteless society. "But now they are talking about caste. In the last few days, the political and religious decisions (taken by the Congress) made me uneasy,” he said. "The language that they used to reject Lord Ram's Pran Pratishtha ceremony was disappointing."
On Saturday, after Suresh Pachouri joined the BJP, former MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "Rahul Gandhi will breathe only after finishing the Congress completely, as suggested by Mahatma Gandhi. All good leaders of the Congress are tired of the party's leadership which is directionless."
Acharya Pramod Krishnam, too, had criticised Congress for rejecting invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He had attended the ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. However, weeks later, he was expelled from the party for six years.
A day after his expulsion, Acharya Pramod Krishnam said leaders like Sachin Pilot and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are being disrespected in the party where people need 'chamchagiri' (sycophancy) to survive. "Today Sachin Pilot is being insulted in Congress...he is swallowing poison like Lord Shiva. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also being insulted." "(Bharat Jodo Nyay) Yatra of Rahul Gandhi is going on for several days...why is Priyanka Gandhi not joining it, ask her," he said.