NEW DELHI, Dec 28:
It was an year of crisis for the Congress with the magic of party’s youth icon Rahul Gandhi failing in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls even as his sister and General secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra increasingly taking centre-stage on the political scene.
Credited with the victories by the Congress in the three Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Mr Gandhi, however, failed to translate the turnaround in the Congress fortunes in the Assembly polls into the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Leading the opposition charge in the Lok Sabha election, the grand-old party, however, found itself being limited to a dismal tally of 52 in the 542 member Lower House. In many states, the Congress failed to open its account.
With doubts being raised about the leadership of Mr Gandhi after the dismal show by the Congress, he announced his decision to quit as party chief.
Expected, the announcement was followed by party leaders meeting Mr Gandhi to continue as party chief, arguing that the party needs him in this hour of crisis. In fact, in an attempt to convince him, party in charges in various states offered to quit to take responsibility for party’s debacle their respective states.
A meeting of the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution urging Mr Gandhi to continue as party chief in this hour of crisis. It also gave a free hand to Mr Gandhi to carry out whatever changes in the organisation he feels necessary to strengthen the party.
Despite, the CWC resolution, Mr Gandhi, however, continued to insist on quitting as party chief.
Even as party leaders flocked to convince him not to quit, the Congress leader in July wrote an open letter to partymen announcing his decision to quit.
In a letter posted on Twitter, he formally resigned as Congress president, taking responsibility for the Lok Sabha polls debacle, and called for “hard decisions” to rebuild the party and making people accountable for the “failure” of 2019.
In the four-page open letter, Mr Gandhi urged the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to entrust a group of people with the task of finding a new president as it would not be proper for him to do so.
In the letter, he said he owed the country and his party debt of tremendous gratitude and love, but maintained that at times he stood “completely alone” in his fight against the Prime Minister and the RSS.
“As president of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election. Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress President,” he said, rejecting pleas by senior party leaders to continue with the post.
“Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions and numerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019. It would be unjust to hold others accountable but ignore my own responsibility as president of the party,” he said in the letter.
In his Twitter account, Mr Gandhi’s designation as “president” of Congress was also changed to “Member of Congress and Member of Parliament”.
His sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lauded him for his “courageous” decision.
Taking to Twitter, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Few have the courage that you do Rahul Gandhi. Deepest respect for your decision.”
In August, the CWC met to deliberate on the election of the new party chief.
The CWC accepted Rahul Gandhi’s resignation and formed five sub-groups region-wise to choose the new Congress president.
The five groups recommended Mr Gandhi’s name for the post. However, the outgoing president refused to take the charge. Thereafter, the CWC nominated Sonia Gandhi as the interim party president.
Despite quitting as party chief, Rahul continued to lead the party’s attack against the Central government.
He led a delegation of opposition party leaders to Jammu and Kashmir in August to meet the people and party leaders in the region where restrictions have been imposed since the abrogation of Article 370.
However, the delegation was not allowed to step out of Srinagar airport and was sent back an hour after landing in the city.
He also led the Congress attack against the government on the much controversial Citizenship Amendments Act.
He led the party’s protest ‘dharna’ at Rajghat against the Act.
In several attacks on the government on the issue, Mr Gandhi described the Act as an instrument of polarisation. The year also saw the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in active politics as General secretary of Uttar Pradesh east.
She was made the in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh along with western UP in charge Jyotiraditya Scindia. Mr Vadra’s entry into active politics as the general secretary of AICC barely three months before the Lok Sabha elections, however, failed to woo voters in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha election with the party losing the key seat of Amethi, which had hitherto been considered its stronghold. (PTI)
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