Sonia and Rahul Gandhi offered to quit the leadership of Congress for the staggering defeat in the elections, throwing the Congress Working Committee that met to take stock into a tizzy. Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have said four times that she wanted to resign as party president, and Rahul at least twice as vice-president, but the CWC members insisted that they stay.
The resignation offers were not just pre-scripted drama during the 180-minute meeting, a CWC member insisted. In fact, persuasion of the Gandhi family to continue steering the Congress party took up most of the time with 29 of the 38 CWC members at the meeting speaking up. Not much time was left for any introspection.
There might be another “chintan shiver“ for that. The next step towards correctives is likely to be the organizational reshuffle. As the muchawaited meeting got underway amid reports that leaders were seething at the direction the party has taken under Rahul, Sonia told the gathering that she had failed to strengthen the Congress and wanted to “relinquish“ her position for the crushing defeat.
Barely did she stop speaking that Rahul said the party lacks the kind of accountability that is required and he wanted to start the culture of owning up by quitting his position. “I headed this campaign, it is my responsibility... I should set an example of accountability and be the first to quit,” he was quoted as having told the meeting.
The hall at the AICC headquarters erupted at this, with loyalists dismissing the resignation offers out of hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment