left out of decision-making and forced to play second fiddle to Rahul Gandhi’s handpicked team of political lightweights, senior Congress leaders on Friday gloated over the Congress’ humiliating defeat in the lok Sabha polls even as a demand surfaced for replacing the party’s vice-president with his sister Priyanka Vadra as the face of the bruised and battered party.
A section of Congress workers staged a protest at Congress headquarters raising slogans of “Rahul hatao, Priyanka lao” and “Amethi ki danka, Priyanka.” Party sources said the Congress Working Committee (CWC) would meet on Monday to discuss future course of action and Priyanka’s larger role in the wake of Congress’ worst-ever electoral performance in lok Sabha polls. The Congress had won 114 seats in 1999 whereas this time it could get only 44 seats. A section of senior leaders felt that the Congress’ performance in Uttar Pradesh showed that the “charisma” of the first family of the party was fast fading.
The Congress, which had as many as 22 seats in the lok Sabha, saw victory only in the Gandhi-Nehru pocket borough Raebareli and Amethi. A general view in the Congress is that the issue of price rise and corruption went against the party and the situation was exploited by BJP’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi who tapped the anti-incumbency sentiment. Some leaders close to Rahul may have to face the music for their role in working out the party’s electoral strategy.
The scion of India’s most famous dynasty, Rahul “struggled” to connect with voters of his own constituency and was outdone by Priyanka, who might have saved the day for him by her whirlwind campaign in Amethi.
Rahul has been widely criticized for not being part of the Government, for spending little time in his constituency, rarely speaking in Parliament and snubbing none other than the Prime Minister publicly by tearing off the Ordinance on convicted MPs and giving a miss to the farewell dinner hosted in Manmohan Singh’s honour two days ago by party president Sonia Gandhi.
Addressing the media on Friday, Sonia and Rahul conceded the mandate was “clearly against” the Congress and said there was “lot for us to think about”. Holding that Congress faced its opponents on the basis of its policies, achievements and principles, Sonia said: “Still we could not get the support we expected.”
“As president of the party, I take responsibility for the defeat,” Gandhi told reporters at AICC headquarters. Rahul, who was anointed the campaign chief of the party in January, also said as vice-president of the party, he holds himself responsible for the debacle. At the outset, he congratulated the BJP for getting the mandate to form the new Government. Both Sonia and Rahul did not take any questions. Sonia said the Congress would keep fighting to preserve its basic principles, ideals, traditions and make “no compromise” with them.
While the High Command is trying to boost the morale of the cadre, there is a clamour for bringing Priyanka into the mainstream. This is not the first election in which there has been a demand from party workers for a larger role for Priyanka. Recently, some remarks by AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, considered to be a close confidant of Sonia, regarding Priyanka’s interest in politics have led to speculation about a possible larger role for her in party affairs.
A group of party workers gathered outside AICC headquarters demanding Priyanka’s entry into active politics to “rescue” the party. About two dozen workers shouted slogans in favour of Priyanka waving placards with screaming slogans “Wakt ki pukar Priyanka Gandhi”. “Had Priyanka Gandhi campaigned earlier, the results would have been different,” said party worker Jagdish Sharma.
A few days back, some posters of Priyanka had surfaced in Allahabad which said, “Bhaiya ko bhi hai bahana ki darkar, Priyanka party ka karo prachar, UPA ki sarkar banao teesri baar” (Even the brother needs the sister, Priyanka you campaign for the party and help UPA form the Government for the third time).”