Anand: Revelation

Ranchi, Nov. 29: After the BJP, the Congress has discovered the virtues of media management.

Amid the public war of words between senior Congress leaders Subodh Kant Sahay ? who is also a Union minister ? and former president Thomas Hansda, Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand R.K. Anand today surprised partymen by suggesting that the Congress should take lessons from the RSS in discipline.

?Their discipline is worth following. Congressmen should draw lessons from it. Unless the Congressmen make themselves disciplined like the RSS, it will be difficult for the party to unseat the Arjun Munda government from the state and form a government,? he told partymen who had gathered at Congress Bhavan to welcome new president Sushila Kerketta.

?The RSS never goes in for publicity. They have the same level of discipline today as they had in 1947 and you should learn from them,? Anand said.

?Forget about the differences you have at present and just follow the kind of discipline which is there in the RSS.?

Taking strong exception to the war of words within the Congress, Anand said any statement in the press should be given with utmost care. ?Have you heard RSS workers making statements against the leadership or any individual? You should also follow it. One should be cautious while making statements in the press,? he said. Anand said the alliance with the JMM during the last Lok Sabha election was a ?majboori? (compulsion) and that the Congress had to ?sacrifice? two seats in the name of a ?friendly contest?. His statement assumes significance given the fact that he was the key negotiator when the alliance with the JMM was being finalised. Anand, however, assured the workers that this time there would be no ?injustice? to the Congress.

Anand made it clear that no decision has been taken on who would be the chief ministerial candidate of the party. ?When the Prime Minister can be chosen after the Lok Sabha elections, why announce the chief ministerial candidate before the Assembly poll? The chief minister will be decided by the newly elected MLAs in the new Assembly,? he said.