Rahul Gandhi met Chief Ministers of the five Congress-ruled states on Monday. He came face-to-face with all the five Chief Ministers — Gehlot, Nath, Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel, Punjab’s Amarinder Singh and Puducherry’s V Narayanasamy.
Rahul Gandhi met Chief Ministers of the five Congress-ruled states on Monday. He came face-to-face with all the five Chief Ministers — Gehlot, Nath, Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel, Punjab’s Amarinder Singh and Puducherry’s V Narayanasamy.
The CMs reportedly asked him to reconsider his decision to step down as Congress President, but Rahul did not give any indication on having changed his mind, signalling that the crisis that has hit the Congress party is far from over.
Firm on stepping down after the Congress’ debacle in the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi reiterated today that he was “no longer the Party President” and that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) must soon decide on his replacement. "The Party should decide on the new President quickly, without further delay. I am nowhere in this process. I have already submitted my resignation and I am no longer the Party President. CWC should convene a meeting at the earliest and decide on who to appoint as the Congress President,” stated Rahul Gandhi to the news agency ANI.
While the drama around Rahul’s decision has been dragging on for over a month now, sources in the party said a resolution does not seem to be in sight for at least a week. Earlier, at the first CWC meeting convened after the poll results, sources said that Rahul GAndhi had come down heavily on Gehlot and Nath, accusing them of having put the interests of their sons ahead of that of the party. Despite requests, he had earlier denied to meet them. Rahul is said to be upset that none of those State leaders and In-charges under whose watch the party fared badly, have owned up responsibility and resigned—even after he led the way and decided to step down on the principle of accountability.
The Congress could win only 52 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, only 6 more than its 2014 tally, while the BJP single-handedly won 303 seats, staking claim to form the Government for a second consecutive term. With Gandhi firm on his decision to step down, the Congress is facing a crisis unparalleled in its recent political history.