Amid attacks from G-23 leaders, Rahul Gandhi says he was attacked by his party people

Amid attacks from the group of 23 dissenting Congress leaders, former party chief Rahul Gandhi said that he was criticised by his own party leaders after he pushed for Youth Congress and NSUI elections.

Responding to a question about Congress' internal democracy, Gandhi, who was attending a webinar orgsed by US University Cornell through video conference, said he was the "first-person" to say that democratic election within the party is absolutely critical.

"I am the person who pushed elections in youth orgsation and student orgsation and got a serious beating in the press for that. I was literally crucified for doing elections. I was attacked by my own party people. I am the first person that says democratic election within the party is absolutely critical but it is interesting to me that this question is not asked about any other political party," he said.

"I am the first person that says democratic election within the party is absolutely critical but it is interesting to me that this question is not asked about any other political party. Nobody asked why is there no internal democracy in BJP, BSP, and Samajwadi Party," he added.

The Wayanad MP said Congress' ideology is the ideology of the Constitution so it more important for the party to be democratic.

"But they ask about Congress because there is a reason. We are an ideological party and our ideology is the ideology of the Constitution, so it is more important for us to be democratic," he said.

Rahul Gandhi's remarks come in the backdrop of a recent rally in Jammu of Congress leaders, including the G-23 or the 23 senior dissenting leaders, who had last year questioned the party's functioning in a letter to interim president Sonia Gandhi and demanded reforms in the orgsation. They also demanded internal elections in Congress.

Dissenting leaders including Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma have stated that the Congress party is "getting weaker" and they are raising their voice for the betterment of the party.

( With inputs from ANI )