Opposing resignation, over 120 Cong leaders want Rahul to stay as party chief
More than 120 Congress office-bearers holding different positions within the Central and State units stepped down on Friday owning responsibility for the Lok Sabha debacles and to oppose the resignation of Rahul Gandhi as party chief.
The spate of resignations came a day after, in a meeting with party leaders, Rahul expressed unhappiness that none of the leaders excluding himself had taken responsibility for the disastrous performance in the general elections.
Those who submitted their resignation during the last 24 hours include Vivek Tankha, a Rajya Sabha member, Delhi Congress Working president Rajesh Lilothia, office bearers from Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan, and others.
Many of them said they would not withdraw their resignation until Rahul promised to stay on as the Congress chief.
“Many AICC office-bearers have come forward to take responsibility for the poll debacle and resign from their respective posts, responsibility does not end with Congress president Rahul alone,” said a senior Congress leader.
Besides Tankha and Lilothia, Haryana Women Congress chief Sumitra Chouhan, general secretary Netta P Sangma of Meghalaya, Secretary Virender Rathore, Chhattisgarh secretary Anil Chaudhary, Madhya Pradesh secretary Sudhir Chaudhary and Haryana secretary Satyavir Yadav also gave up their posts.
Notably, in a meeting with Haryana Congress leaders on Thursday, Rahul had stated he quit “taking full responsibility” for the party’s defeat. “I cannot ask others to resign too. It is up to them if they want to take responsibility,” he told senior party leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kumari Selja and Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Soon after this, Tankha resigned as the chairman of the party’s legal and human rights cell and asked others to follow his example.
“We all should submit our resignations from party positions and give Rahul a free hand to choose his team. I welcome Kamal Nath’s (Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister) statement to that effect. I unequivocally submit my resignation as AICC Dept chairman Law, RTI and HR. Party cannot afford a stalemate for too long,” Tankha announced on twitter.
As part of his exercise to meet leaders of poll bound States, Rahul on Friday met senior leaders of Delhi unit, including its president Sheila Dikshit, and advised them to put up a united face before the Opposition in the upcoming Assembly elections next year. He also asked the Delhi Congress leaders to avoid giving statements to the media that could hurt the interests of the party.
Besides Sheila, All India Congress Committee (AICC) incharge of Delhi Congress, PC Chacko and the party candidates who contested the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls in the Capital were present in the meeting.
Differences in the Congress had surfaced before the Lok Sabha polls, as a section of leaders including Chacko and former Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken batted for alliance with the AAP to defeat the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi further appointed Mohan Markam as head of the party’s Chhattisgarh unit, replacing Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Significantly, the AICC press statement naming Markam as the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee chief said “Congress president has appointed” instead of the “AICC” that was being used in party statements effecting organisational changes since Rahul Gandhi’s decision to quit as party head.
The appointment assumes significance as it comes amid uncertainty over Rahul continuing as Congress president.