CWC dissects Assembly polls rout; reposes 'full faith' in Sonia

Days after its drubbing in five states, the Congress’ top decision-making body has unanimously decided that party president Sonia Gandhi should continue till organisational polls after she expressed readiness to “make any and every sacrifice” in the party’s interest.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), during its nearly five-hour meeting, reposed full faith in her leadership, urging her to effect immediate corrective changes to strengthen the party and meet the political challenges ahead of the next round of elections.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said every Congress worker and leader wants Rahul Gandhi to lead the party, but as the process of organisational polls is underway, the next president will be decided through it.

Amid calls for large-scale reforms to revive the party’s dwindling electoral fortunes, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, at a press conference after the CWC meeting, said the party president will immediately take corrective measures to revamp and re-strengthen the organisation.

The Congress will hold a Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) soon after the Budget Session of Parliament and the CWC will meet again before that, Venugopal said. The session is scheduled to end on April 8.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suggested that the Chintan Shivir be held in his state.

Later, leaders said this brainstorming session of three-four days would chalk out the future roadmap and strategy in order to address challenges.

Several leaders, after the meeting, said that Sonia in her introductory remarks said she is ready “to make any and every sacrifice as Congress workers and the CWC wish in the interest of the party”.

These comments were seen by many as her readiness to even quit if required and felt necessary by the party leadership.

She listened to all leaders at the CWC meet and left the decision to the wisdom of members, including those of the G-23, who reposed full faith in her.

“Every single member of the CWC wants Sonia to guide the party till organisational elections are held,” Surjewala said, adding that the new Congress chief will be elected between August 21 and September 20.

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The CWC members also said that the BJP-RSS attacked the Gandhi family only to weaken the Congress.

Former party chief Rahul Gandhi at the meet talked about ways to strengthen the organisation and win back the faith of the people.

At the crucial meeting, some G-23 leaders said they have been seeking corrective measures only to strengthen the party but a few have vilified them as those working at the BJPs behest and asserted that this must stop as they remain “lifelong Congressmen”.

They also said that they are “not political tourists” and the Congress leadership must be conscious of rumour-mongers giving mischievous twists to their suggestions.

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, party’s leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and P Chidambaram were among those who attended the meet.

The general secretaries, in-charges and senior observers of states where polls were held including Priyanka Gandhi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, senior leaders Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh made detailed presentations and submitted reports.

They listed reasons behind the party’s defeat and its shortcomings while suggesting measures to revive its electoral fortunes.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik were the only three from the Group of 23 leaders, who have repeatedly pressed for organisation overhaul, present at the meeting of the CWC, which has a large number of Sonia/Rahul loyalists.

The G-23 leaders said they were part of the organisation and would remain so and would do everything to strengthen it to ensure its success at the hustings, sources said.

“Today, when we talk of introspection and accountability, words are mischievously twisted, giving an impression by some within the party that it is a rebellion. We have been lifelong Congress members and have remained so in the party for 50-long years,” a G-23 leader was quoted as saying at the meeting.

Surjewala said the CWC discussed what went wrong in Assembly elections and senior leaders including Azad and Digvijay Singh gave suggestions.

A statement adopted by the CWC said the recent Assembly election results of five states are a “cause of serious concern” for the party.

The Congress accepted that due to shortcomings in its strategy, it could not effectively “expose the misrule” of BJP state governments in four states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa — and overcome the anti-incumbency in Punjab in a short time after effecting a change of leadership.

A few months before the polls, the Congress had removed Amarinder Singh as Punjab chief minister, replacing him with Charanjit Singh Channi.

Sources said Punjab in-charge Harish Chaudhary listed infighting and the late removal of Amarinder Singh as the main reasons for the party’s decimation.

Priyanka Gandhi said there was nothing in the name of an organisation in Uttar Pradesh when she took over and the steps taken now would “bear fruit” in the future.

“Congress represents the hopes of millions of Indians against political authoritarianism prevailing in the country today and the party is fully conscious of its immense responsibility,” the CWC said.

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While humbly accepting the electoral verdict of the latest round of assembly elections, the Congress assures its workers and the people of India that it will continue to remain a vigilant and vibrant opposition, it said.

The Congress will be fully prepared to face the electoral challenges in the election going states in 2022 and 2023 as well as in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the CWC said.

The CWC also “unanimously” reaffirmed its faith in the leadership Sonia Gandhi and urged the Congress president to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh did not attend the meeting. Senior party leader A K Antony was also not present as he has contracted Covid.

The Congress lost Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party, could not wrest Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur from the BJP and the party’s tally in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh fell to its lowest.

While Sonia Gandhi has not been actively campaigning for some time, Rahul Gandhi, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had been the star campaigner for the Congress in the polls, with the brother-sister duo also playing a major role in key decisions of the party.

Despite a high-pitched campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress could manage to win only two of the 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh with the vote share plummeting to a meagre 2.33 per cent and most of its candidates losing security deposits.

Ahead of the meeting, the chorus for making Rahul Gandhi the Congress president again grew louder as several leaders and workers voiced support for him to take on the mantle of party chief.

Gehlot said no one was taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Rahul Gandhi does and was fighting resolutely.

“All of us want that Rahul ji should take on the mantle of party leadership,” he told reporters.

Rahul Gandhi had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in general elections in 2019.

Sonia Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party again as interim president, had also offered to quit in August 2020 after strong criticism by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.

(With Agency inputs)