Need a renewed Congress to take on BJP, says Shashi Tharoor after 'open debate' remark

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that the party presidential election is about the need to have a renewed Congress to take on the BJP and not on each other.

Congress presidential poll is about how the party should be best equipped to take on the BJP and not each other, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Monday. The Thiruvananthapuram MP said that the party has lost two elections and they need a renewed, reinvigorated Congress party where it is mobilized effectively to take on this challenge.

The remarks of the Congress leader came after Mallikarjun Kharge, seen as Gandhis' choice for the top post, had told Tharoor that it would be better to have a consensus candidate. But Tharoor insisted on contesting for the sake of democracy, Kharge said. Tharoor had said the Congress needs to change, adding that Kharge is a candidate of 'continuity' and 'status quo'.

Tharoor on Sunday said he would be open to the idea of a public debate between the candidates as it would evoke people's interest in the party, similar to the recent British Conservative Party leadership race.

Shashi Tharoor, who is currently in Hyderabad, is set for an electoral face-off with Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge for the party president's post, said the two have no ideological difference.

Wonderful to be received so warmly in Hyderabad for a brief visit. The enthusiasm of ordinary karyakartas has inspired me greatly as we move forward! #ThinkTomorrowThinkTharoor pic.twitter.com/NjS8evCIjM