Tabassum, wife of Dinesh Gundurao, accuses Cong of sidelining young leaders

Bengaluru, Oct 1: In what can be termed as a major embarrassment to the Congress, KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao’s wife Tabassum Rao has accused the party leadership of denying opportunities to young leaders.

“There is growing dissonance among young leaders as the old guard is not conceding them any space,” Tabassum said in a Facebook post. “While the party can benefit from the experience of seniors, there is an urgent need to bring young and dynamic leaders to the forefront.”

This is the first time Tabassum is airing her political opinion on a public platform and it comes at a time when her name is doing the rounds for the Congress ticket from the Shiavajinagar assembly seat in the December 5 bypolls.

Tabassum, however, denied any political angle into her statement saying it was her personal opinion. But, she castigated the party leadership for infighting.

“There is rampant infighting in the party. It is no secret that many a time some Congress leaders themselves work towards the defeat of their colleague's... both electorally and personally,” her FB post said.

“One of the biggest problems of the Congress is sycophants and hangers-on who fill the ears of leaders with what they want to hear rather than what they should hear, especially those in the capital. Thus, many leaders are cut-off from ground realities,” she added.