Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader KV Thomas on Friday raised his voice in favour of bringing party president Sonia Gandhi`s daughter Priyanka into active politics along with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, saying that the brother-sister duo should work together to revive the Grand Old Party.
Speaking to an English news channel, the former food minister in the Congress-led UPA government, today said, "We see former prime minister Indira Gandhi in Priyanka. She should work with Rahul to lift the Congress party."
Thomas further said Priyanka does not need to `replace` Rahul, who is being blamed for the party`s defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.
"We feel if Priyanka comes in not as a replacement but to help him (Rahul), it will be good for the party," he added.
Thomas had earlier also said that Congress workers were keen that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joins `the organisation` as it needs a younger leadership which could lead the party after its worst defeat in the General Elections.
The Kerala Congress MP further expressed his apprehensions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s style of functioning, citing the example of the newly formed central government`s decision to scrap all EGoMs and GoMs.
"The way the Prime Minister is functioning gives rise to an apprehension that he may be dictatorial, he is also identified with corporate interests which is not good," Thomas added.
Despite the electoral loss the Congress seems to be in no mood to look at PM Modi in a new light.
However, former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor praised PM Modi, in a blog written for the Huffington Post, titled "How Narendra Modi May Have Evolved into `Modi 2.0". Tharoor, later, argued that "it would be churlish not to acknowledge Modi 2.0`s inclusive outreach and to welcome his more conciliatory statements and actions."
Elected to the Lok Sabha for the second term from Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor is one of the 44 Congress leaders to have survived the BJP onslaught in the recent General Elections.
KV Thomas, who won the Lok Sabha polls 2014 handsomely from Kerala, had earlier also urged Priyanka to join politics, saying that there was a `special interest` in her to take up the position in the party as she resembles her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
However, he added that a decision on her assuming a bigger role will be finally taken by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka herself.
Priyanka, 42, had so far restricted her role in politics by only campaigning in the constituencies of her mother and brother, which are Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively.
