Sanjay Raut said that the Congress is the principal Opposition party in the country. It should end its internal differences and rise as an Opposition party, he said.

A day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday described the Gandhi family as the “Aadhaar card of Congress”. He also maintained that there is no one outside the Gandhi family who can lead the party, which can be led by Rahul Gandhi.

“Gandhi Parivar is the Aadhaar card of the Congress. Be it Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi. The demand for a non-Gandhi leading the party is not appropriate. I don’t see a leader outside the Gandhi family who can lead the party,” Raut told mediapersons on Tuesday.

He added that the Congress is the principal Opposition party in the country. It should end its internal differences and rise as an Opposition party, said Raut.

“Rahul Gandhi led the party well in the past. The Congress won the Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh under his leadership. After the defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, he quit from the post of the Congress president… But even today, Rahul Gandhi has the ability to lead the Congress,” said the Rajya Sabha MP.

Raut further said that discussions will be held in the party to decide on whether Sena will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. “We have a continuous dialogue with the local unit in Bihar,” he said.

He added that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will resolve the issues raised by some Congress legislators regarding distribution of funds.