Resignations pour in support of Rahul Gandhi, pressure on senior Congress leaders to resign
Rahul Gandhi
With no clarity on Rahul Gandhi's continuation as president of the Congress party, a number of junior Congress leaders assembled at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office at 24, Akbar Road in New Delhi on Friday to hold an impromptu meeting on the state of affairs of the Congress.
More than 300 people had gathered for the impromptu meeting but surprisingly, the official rung of the Congress was unaware of such development. The media department of the party too was taken by surprise as its members were deployed in the Parliament house.
The net result of the meeting was more than 130 resignations from a number of office bearers of the Congress party. They came from different sections like PCC (state units) and Seva Dal, AICC, NSUI and Youth Congress. Known Congress functionarieswho put in their papers are Anil Chaudhary, Rajesh Dharmani Virendra Rathore and PonamPrabhakar.
AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria too resigned, so did the foreign cell secretary Virendra Vashishth. Babaria told WION that every Congress leader should take responsibility.Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and AICC secretary Jitendra Baghal have also followed suit.
On Thursday night, Congress legal cell head and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha had also put in his papers.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) office, New Delhi
Sources said that most of the people who gathered for Friday's meeting were promoted by Rahul Gandhi. Apart from the senior leaders, their ire was also directed against the younger lot who climbed the organisational ladder with Rahul Gandhi's support.
Most of those who attended the meeting want senior leaders in AICC to also put in their papers as they feel that Rahul Gandhi alone cannot be held responsible for the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Broadly, it is turning out to be a fight against theold guard and new guard within the Congress after the party's massive poll debacle.
One of the key organisers categorically said that the resignations are being sought from AICC functionaries and not the sitting chief ministers, lest state governments get destabilised.
Rahul Gandhi has been insistent that he would not continue as Congress president but a section of the younger leadership feels that he should change his stand. They harbour the grouse that senior leadership did not do anything to make Rahul Gandhi change his mind. But many senior leaders privately admit that every decision was taken by Rahul Gandhi and to say that seniors did not cooperate is factually incorrect.
Rahul Gandhi on the past three occasions had made it very clear that he does not want to continue as the Congress president.