Congress MP Manish Tewari has said that the forthcoming party president elections need to be held in a credible and transparent manner, and the start of this process could revitalise it.He adds, the Congress requires that “elections at all levels have to be held in a credible and transparent manner,” culminating in the election of the Congress president at the final stage. This requires elections at booth level, block Congress committee level, district Congress committee level and Pradesh Congress committee level.The outcome [of the party election] will be credible only if this process is followed, he said.In a 35-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Tewari also seems to agree with Ghulam Nabi Azad’s point that the consultative mechanism that used to exist in Congress no longer does. He says, “If the broader consultative mechanism would have worked, then obviously we wouldn’t find ourselves in the position we do today.”He explains what is required for the process of electing a president in a credible manner.Speaking about the leaders leaving the party, he says, “It’s a cause for concern, a cause for introspection and it would be naïve to sweep it under the carpet.”The Congress leader goes on to say that he has regularly briefed Sonia Gandhi about all his concerns regarding the functioning of Congress. “I have tried to keep her apprised of what I think is going on in the party… I have tried to keep her completely apprised of issues that confront the Indian National Congress… I have always endeavoured to articulate my point of view privately but with full candour”.He identifies three critical qualities that the new Congress president must have to tackle the Bharatiya Janata Party and Narendra Modi, and to revive and reinvigorate the party. They are: “ideological clarity, aeons of organisational experience and the ability to be on the treadmill 24×7.”Asked if he is a candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections, Tewari said, “It would all depend on what my colleagues have to say.” In the interview, it becomes clear that he is considering the matter but has not decided either way.In the first half of the interview, we discuss Ghulam Nabi Azad’s resignation letter and all the issues including the key central question: has Azad revealed the truth about how the Congress party has been run over the last eight years or is the letter full of exaggeration and distortion?In the second half of the interview, we discuss the forthcoming Congress presidential election. Some of the issues he raised in this section are:Is the election a credible opportunity to revitalise and reinvigorate the party or will it be a farce and sham and only elect a puppet? With many Congressmen making strenuous efforts to convince Rahul Gandhi to stand for the elections, should he do so or would that be a mistake?The other issues discussed in this section are: What are the qualities the next Congress president needs to both tackle Modi and the BJP as well as to revive and reinvigorate Congress? If Rahul Gandhi is not to be president, what role should he play in the party?Watch the full interview here.