Congress refuses to comment on Dhawan's remarks

New Delhi: Congress on Thursday refrained from reacting to senior leader R K Dhawan's reported remarks that Rahul Gandhi should be cautious in selecting his team keeping in mind that his father, Rajiv Gandhi, had been "taken for a ride" by his relatives and friends.

"These are his views. I have nothing to say on this," party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said when asked by reporters to comment on remarks of Dhawan, who is a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.

She gave a similar response to another question whether Dhawan's remarks mean that Gandhi was not getting proper advice.

"I do not want to make any comment," she said replying to questions including whether Dhawan'remarks point towards some internal problems in the party.

Reports quoted Dhawan, a close associate of Indira Gandhi and for some time Rajiv Gandhi, as saying that late Rajiv Gandhi had surrounded himself with "relatives and friends" who took him "for a ride".

He said "Rahul should also be very cautious in selecting his team" keeping in mind what happened to his father.

A senior party leader speaking on the condition of anonymity, however, said that there was not anything like indiscipline in what Dhawan had said and everybody was free to have his views.

"It may be an issue of norms but not of indiscipline. Why should the party ask from him anything?" a senior leader said when asked whether the party would be questioning Dhawan on the issue or whether any explanation would be sought from him.

Dhawan's remarks is believed to be aimed at Digvijay Singh who is perceived to be close to Rahul by virtue of being the AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh.

Asked about Dhawan's remarks, Singh refused to comment. "I don't want to comment on senior Congress leaders," he said.