Shashi Tharoor At NDTV Townhall On Congress Chief Poll: Top 10 Quotes

The Gandhi family has made it clear that there's no official candidate [for the Congress President post]. I am assuming that there's no official candidate. But some people in the party are assuming that there's an official candidate.

I have to take the word of my party chief and the Gandhis. I always expected there would be a senior candidate and senior leaders would rally around him.

That's apparent with his [Mallikarjun Kharge's] nomination form and the signatures there and his campaign trail. Wherever he goes, there are veterans around him. But wherever I am going, there are simple citizens.

There is no such thing as G-23 [group of 23 leaders in the Congress]. I signed that letter which asked for very specific things. All those things in the letter are in my manifesto.

Our principle [as against Mallikarjun Kharge] is different as to how to make the party ready for the elections. I believe that business as usual wouldn't work. So it's between business as usual and parivartan (change).

I won three Lok Sabha elections in a constituency with support of the fisherfolk and adivasis, so give me a break about this talk of being elitist.

I am not some sort of a rich man. I don't come from a rich family. My father was a salaried man. It's wrong to call me an elitist. Maybe am guilty of being rich in intellect.

The fact is the DNA of Congress party and the blood of the Nehru-Gandhi family is intertwined. It would be foolish on the part of the Congress President to distance the party from the Gandhis.

I am running [for Congress President] because I don't think we can have business as usual. We need a change not just inside the party, but we need to demonstrate it to the public.

I have been with him [Rahul Gandhi] during Bharat Jodo Yatra. And I have seen scores of people coming at 6 am to cheer for Rahul Gandhi during the yatra. He can be a great asset.