Congress has no divine right to head Opposition, says Prashant Kishor

New Delhi: The space represented by the Congress is vital but its leadership is not the 'divine right of an individual' particularly when it has lost 90 per cent elections in the last 10 years, poll strategist Prashant Kishor said on Thursday in an apparent swipe at Rahul Gandhi.

A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's comment that there was no United Progressive Alliance anymore, Kishor, who has earlier been political advisor to various parties, also called for democratically electing the opposition leadership.

His remark sparked a sharp response from the Congress with party spokesperson Pawan Khera saying on Twitter, 'The individual being discussed here is pursuing his Divine Duty to struggle and save Indian democracy from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh'. 'A professional without ideological commitment is free to advice parties/individuals on how to contest elections but he cannot set the agenda of our politics,' he said.

'This bogey of Congress assuming a 'Divine Right To Rule' needs to be busted. Rahul Gandhi is carrying forward our rich legacy of a 'Divine Duty To Struggle',' the Congress leader said.

A day after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee's "there is no UPA now" jibe, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Thursday said without the Congress, the UPA will be a body without a soul and asserted that it was time to show opposition unity.

Recently 10 Congress MLAs in Meghalaya joined the Trinamool, after which it became the main opposition party instead of Congress in the state.

After winning West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is trying to expand her footprint beyond Bengal claiming to unite and lead all opposition parties. She recently met a number of opposition leaders including NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai in quest of forging a formidable alliance without the Congress.

Meanwhile, the Congress has given notices in both Houses of Parliament on the issue of inflation, and has demanded discussion on the price rise of essential commodities.

In his notice, Congress MP Manish Tewari said, "The high rate of inflation has hurt the economically weaker sections of the country. Prices of Oil & vegetables have skyrocketed and Fuel is breaking new price records almost everyday with petrol going way beyond the 100-rupee mark and LPG cylinders having more than doubled in price since 2014, now cost more than Rs 900. "According to data released by RBI, the CPI (combined) inflation rate in Oils and fats for October, 2021 on a YoY basis stands at 33.50 per cent while the same numbers for fuel and transport & communication are 14.19 & 10.90 respectively."

He said, "This high rate of inflation not only breaks the back of the low-income group of the country but also aggravates the already increasing inequality in income distribution. Thus, I want to raise this urgent issue of Inflation in the house."

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal has given similar notice in the Rajya Sabha for Suspension of Business under rule 267 to discuss "the rising prices of essential commodities"

The Congress has been questioning the government on high rates of inflation and has conducted two-week nationwide protests. The paryy will also hold a rally in Jaipur on December 12.