New Delhi: As the stalemate over Rahul Gandhi’s offer to quit as the Congress chief continues, the party’s young turks – those who owe their elevation in the organisation to him – have gone on an offensive against its ‘old guards’.
Party sources said that the ‘mass resignation campaign’ by young leaders is an attempt to put pressure on its seniors to step down and enable Gandhi to make changes in the organisation as he wishes to.
Nearly 140 young party leaders, led by All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Prakash Joshi, formally submitted their resignations to general secretary K.C. Venugopal Saturday in support of Gandhi and take responsibility for the party’s dismal performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
‘Collective responsibility’
Joshi has also received calls from several other Congress leaders across the country who conveyed their support for this “collective responsibility”, said youth Congress sources.
The young Congress leaders, ThePrint spoke to, said senior leaders clearly felt no sense of “moral responsibility”.
“If they (senior party leaders) do not feel any responsibility towards the party, what can we say?” asked one of the youth leaders. “We believe it is our collective responsibility and have decided to step down.”
While putting forth his offer of resignation at the Congress Working Committee meeting last month, Gandhi had expressed displeasure at the fact that senior party leaders —implying Kamal Nath, P Chidambaram and Ashok Gehlot— had put interests of their sons ahead of the party.
The Congress president’s remarks, though rejected by a section of leaders as an attempt to hide his own failures as the party president, were seen by others as his desire to force seniors to take a back seat. This explains the latest ‘resignation campaign’ by the young leaders.
The youth leaders who have resigned mainly belong to the Youth Congress and the All India Mahila Congress. The party’s Madhya Pradesh in-charge Dipak Babaria, Delhi Congress working president Rajesh Lilothia and Goa Congress chief Girish Chandokar have also filed their resignations.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, however, said that these resignations are a way for “youngsters to express themselves”. Khera, while responding to a question at a media briefing Saturday, asserted that the situation should not be turned into a competition between the old guard and young leaders.
“People have different ways of convincing Gandhi that he should take back his resignation. Youngsters feel they should do it this way,” he added.
Khera also said that the state Congress committees have passed resolutions asking Gandhi to continue, while the Congress Working Committee has authorised him to reorganise the party after its humiliating defeat.
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