New Delhi: Forgiveness is a virtue with the Congress first family and was on display when former party chief Sonia Gandhi led the entire family to support arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday. Sonia, who was not supposed to attend the opposition rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Grounds due to health issues, not only reached the venue but chose to sit beside Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Arvind Kejriwal on the dais.
Sonia’s children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attended the rally where they slammed the BJP for targeting the opposition leaders. According to party insiders, former party chief Rahul Gandhi walked up to her mother and suggested she should sit next to him, but Sonia Gandhi insisted she would remain seated next to Sunita Kejriwal and later comforted the Delhi Chief Minister’s wife.
Old-timers recalled how Arvind Kejriwal came to power in 2013 by levelling corruption charges at the Congress, Sonia Gandhi, PM Manmohan Singh, and Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit in the preceding years. “Forgiveness is a virtue in the family. Sonia Gandhi’s style of politics has given her grace. She gave up the powerful post of Prime Minister at a time when there was no one to challenge her. She led the party to power in 2004 and steered it in the subsequent years. Therefore, she commands respect within the party and even from her detractors,” AICC general secretary in-charge of Delhi Dipak Babaria told ETV Bharat.
According to Babaria, the former party chief has a knack for doing the right thing when required. “She understands that this is the time for showing opposition unity and leaving behind political bitterness. Hence, she was there in support of Kejriwal who used to attack the Congress in the past. That quality adds to her greatness,” he said.
According to AICC functionary Abhishek Dutt, Sonia Gandhi can forgive her detractors as she has experienced pain. “She lost her mother-in-law former PM Indira Gandhi and later her husband former PM Rajiv Gandhi to politics. She has gone through pain and shows empathy with others and is therefore able to pardon them. That was the reason she comforted Sunita Kejriwal,” Dutt told ETV Bharat.
“Kejriwal used to level false allegations against her, but must have realised his mistake by now. Sonia Gandhi was there to support him when he was in jail on corruption charges. I just hope the AAP leaders remember this in the future,” he said. The Delhi Congress was the first to highlight the liquor scam, which led to a CBI probe and the subsequent arrests of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
According to old timers, in the past, Sonia Gandhi also supported AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, who is also in jail in a liquor scam, when he was suspended from the House. Corruption charges apart, the AAP founder used to ridicule former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi till a few months ago, party leaders recalled.
“During the initial days of the INDIA alliance, Kejriwal used to ridicule Rahul Gandhi and his brand of politics. The situation has changed. There is a bigger challenge of defeating the BJP. The Congress has forgiven the past to save democracy in the country. The party stands to change in politics,” former Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra told ETV Bharat.
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Read more: INDIA Bloc Puts Up Show Of Unity At Delhi Rally In Support Of Arvind Kejriwal
