Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi arrive to attend a meeting of the Congress Working Committee to review the party’s defeat in the general elections in New Delhi on May 19. (AP Photo)
New Delhi, May 19 (IANS): Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday offered to resign for the party’s worst performance in a general election, but the Congress Working Committee unanimously rejected it, senior leader Amarinder Singh said.
“Sonia Gandhi-ji and Rahul Gandhi offered to resign, but the CWC (Congress Working Committee) rejected it,” the former Punjab chief minister told IANS. Party sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also said it was not a solution to the problem. “The resignation of Sonia and Rahul is no solution to problems faced by the party,” a source quoting the prime minister told IANS.
The sources added that almost one-third of the time of the meeting was taken up by the members urging Sonia and Rahul Gandhi not to press their resignation. A party leader said: “Many members said the party was not able to properly communicate with people. Rahul Gandhi is likely to be given more free hand in organisational affairs in the coming days.”
The CWC met here to take stock of the party’s worst performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in which it won just 44 seats. After the results were announced May 16, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi owned up responsibility for the party’s performance. Party leader Oscar Fernandes said: “There is no question of retreat. We will fight.”
‘Price rise, corruption contributed to defeat’
Price rise and corruption were the issues on which the UPA government failed to communicate with the people, outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the CWC Monday, accepting shortcomings of his government that led to the poll drubbing. Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, quoted Manmohan Singh as saying in the meeting: “I take responsibility for the shortcomings of my government.” “We were not able to communicate satisfactorily with the people on the issues of price rise and corruption, and the situations that arose because of it,” said the prime minister.
Will start tradition of accountability: Rahul
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday said he had failed in fulfilling the party’s expectations, and offered to resign from his post following the party’s poll debacle, the Congress said. “Rahul said he felt there is lack of accountability in the party, and that he could not fulfill the expectations the party had from him... He said he would start the tradition of accountability in the party, and offered to resign,” Dwivedi told reporters Monday.
