Prime Minister's Media Advisor Harish Khare, whose comments on Congress party have created a flutter, today said he has always believed that Congress is the nation's "most enduring source of stability".

"My observations dealt with the Digvijay Singh government (1993-2003). I was commenting on the inherent dilemma a political party faces in bringing about social change.

"I have always believed and argued that the Congress party is the nation's most enduring source of stability", he said in a statement, clarifying his position on the reported comments he made at a book release function here yesterday.

Khare had said "Congress by nature is entirely a status quoist, centrist party. It does not believe in conviction. The only conviction it has is in how to win elections".

Congress plays down PM media adviser's statement

(PTI) Congress today downplayed comments made by Harish Khare, Media Advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dubbing the party as "status quoist".

"We believe that he has already clarified his statement and we have nothing more to say," Congress General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here on the comments Khare had made during a panel discussion yesterday.

Sources said that Khare was expected to make a statement on the issue.

"Congress by nature is entirely a status quoist, centrist party. It does not believe in conviction. The only conviction it has is in how to win elections," he had said.

Khare, a political anaylst of repute, had also referred to the KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi and Muslim) coalition of the Congress in Gujarat saying such experiments do not yield lasting political benefits.

Soon after Khare made the statement, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, who was also a panelist in the discussion, said, "I do not agree that Congress is a party of status quoists".

He referred to steps like the abolition of zamindari and privy purses to drive home the point that it was not the case.