Shashi Tharoor, who squares off with Mallikarjun Kharge in the October 17 Congress president election, tackled the big question for any Congress candidate running for party chief - will the candidate be a puppet for the Gandhis? "We'll cross those bridges when we come to it. I certainly believe that the Gandhis' place in the Congress...their inextricable links with the DNA of the party is great. There is no question of separating ourselves from them, their legacy. If they don't want to be actively involved, I don't understand where the fear (of them pulling the strings) comes from," Mr Tharoor said.