New Delhi: Soon after its dismal crash in another set of state assembly elections, the Congress on Friday received lacerating advice from one of its veteran leaders, Digvijaya Singh, who said the party needs “major surgery.”
“The results of the state assembly elections are disappointing, but not unexpected. We have done enough introspection but should not we go for a major surgery?” tweeted Singh.
Singh’s reaction came after Congress suffered a massive drubbing in the assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Tamil Nadu. Not only did it display a dismal performance but also the grand old party lost power in two states — Assam and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the party’s partnerships, formed in desperation, failed. Congress and its allies now rule seven of India’s 29 states. Six of these will hold elections by 2018.
Singh said the Congress’ performance in the assembly elections was “quite saddening”.
“However, in a democracy, you have to bow before the people’s will. The Congress will now work even harder to win the trust of the people,” he said.
Singh’s tweet was posted not long after party president Sonia Gandhi’s statement promised introspection.
“We will introspect into the reasons for our loss and will rededicate ourselves to the service of the people with greater vigour,” Gandhi said.
Singh, however, asked if Bharatiya Janata Party Party’s (BJP’s) call for ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ (Congress-free India) was becoming a reality.
“Congress has always bounced back from such situations, though the current trend is a matter of serious concern,” he wrote.
Shashi Tharoor, a Congress parliamentarian from Kerala, also suggested that the party needs to “move beyond this cliched introspection business into some serious action.”
But the party fire-walled Sonia and her son, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, against criticism.
“All state elections are not a referendum on national leadership, there are local issues involved,” said Tharoor.
Singh said the Congress central leadership could not be blamed for the electoral loss, and added that it was for the state leaders to notch up poll wins in their respective states.
“What has the Congress central leadership got to do with states like Assam or Tamil Nadu or West Bengal,” he asked reporters on Friday.
Asked if the defeat will affect the possible anointment of Rahul as the party president, Singh said the two issues were “not connected”.
Meanwhile, there has been an uproar within Congress, with some calling for Priyanka Gandhi to join up.
“Priyanka Gandhi is not in politics. If she comes into politics, it will make Congress workers happy,” Singh said.
In 2014, Congress did not name Rahul as its prime ministerial candidate, but he led the campaign that scooped the party’s poorest-ever national result of 44 Lok Sabha seats. Since then, Congress has been an electoral hot mess.
