'Nonsense ordinance' remark may be wrong, but not sentiment: Rahul Gandhi

AHMEDABAD: Rahul Gandhi has conceded the words he had chosen to trash the ordinance on convicted lawmakers might have been wrong but not his sentiment. “My mother (Congress President Sonia Gandhi) told me the words I used were wrong. In hindsight, may be the words I used were strong, but the sentiment was not wrong. I am young....,” the Congress vice president told reporters on Thursday.

Rahul, whose open denunciation and mounting public opinion against the ordinance and the related bill, forced the government to repeal the ordinance, also said he had the right to voice his opinion and claimed a “large part” of Congress party wanted the ordinance withdrawn. “I have the right to voice my opinion. A large part of the Congress party wanted it,” he said defending his action.

“Why am I being penalised for raising my voice on something that was wrong? Was I wrong?,” Rahul said, apparently hinting at opposition BJP, besides some UPA allies, including Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference, which had criticised the events that led to the reversal of the Cabinet’s decision. “My point is detrimental to our allies,” Rahul said. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which is supporting the UPA government from outside, had openly criticised rescinding of the ordinace.

Opposition BJP has been most vocal and even demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying Rahul’s outburst against the ordinance, which he had called “nonsense” and should be “torn up and thrown away”, had undermined his authority.

“I spoke my mind on the issue, it is amazing to see reactions to it. I am flabbergasted,” he said. Rahul, who is on a two-day tour of Gujarat as part of preparations for next year’s general elections, admitted factionalism in Congress was responsible for repeated defeats of the party in Gujarat.

“The problem is not external, it is internal. Certainly there is factionalism in Congress party,” Rahul Gandhi said to a question why his party was repeatedly losing to BJP in the state.