Lucknow: As Indian National Congress drew blank in the Delhi Assembly Elections second time in a row within eight months of the party’s poor performance in the national elections, talks over the party’s leadership crisis gets momentum once again.
Although the party removed AICC in-charge of Delhi PC Chako and its Delhi chief Subhash Chopra on Thursday, the party cadre and supporters feel that the vacuum at the top is primarily responsible for the latest electoral loss.
When asked about the prolonged deadlock, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Party’s national spokesperson who was in Lucknow on Thursday, tells Free Press Journal, “There is no deadlock over the leadership. Congress would call a plenary session to elect the new president. The person would be chosen on the basis of majority votes.”
Taking a pot shot at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, two most powerful leaders of the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party, Surjewala says, “Unlike BJP, the Congress is not ruled by two people. The party would abide by the decision (on president) taken by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) members.”
While he didn’t speak on the date of the plenary session, a senior congress functionary hinted it could be called April second week.
The leadership crisis in the Congress emerged when Rahul Gandhi stepped down from the party presidentship July 2019 after two months of dilemma post Loksabha polls drubbing and the party picked his ailing mother and the former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi as the interim president.
Eight months have passed by, Sonia’s replacement hasn’t been found although several reports emerged that Rahul would “soon” take over again from the mother.
The deadlock has not only left the cadre amused and confused but has also provided opportunity to the rival BJP to attack the party over “dynasty”.
Interestingly, not only Delhi, the party has also lost ground in many states in recent times such as Karnataka.
It is currently in power only in six of the 31 legislative assemblies including one in Maharashtra where it is the smallest ally of the Shivsena-led government.
Congress to hold “Samvidhan Chaupal” across UP to “Save Constitution & Reservation”
Surjewala was in Lucknow to intensify Congress’ campaign against the BJP in the wake of recent supreme court judgement related to reservation policy in promotion. Speaking with the media, Surjewala called the RSS and the BJP as “anti-Dalit”.
“They can’t see the upliftment of underprivileged communities. The recent judgment (in which the apex court held the States are not compelled to set aside the quota in promotion as it is not the fundamental right) weakens the right to quality provided to the reserved groups. The Centre must file a review petition against the judgment,” he said.
Later, the UP Congress rolled out its massive plan to hold “Samvidhan Chaupal” across 824 blocks 16 Feb onwards. “Through the chaupal, we would tell the people how BJP and RSS seek to abolish the quota policy step-by-step,” says Akhilesh Singh, Congress leader.