Clamour for Congress revamp likely in tomorrow's CWC meet

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : May 18 2014 | 7:40 PM IST
Shell-shocked over its worst-ever performance in the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meets here tomorrow amidst a clamour within for a surgical action to revamp the party.
Though directly no one may point fingers at Rahul Gandhi, the role of his key advisers including Jairam Ramesh, Mohan Gopal, Madhusudan Mistri and Mohan Prakash may be questioned.
As the party searches for answers for its disastrous performance, senior minister Kamal Nath has already sounded a word of caution against "patronage politics" and felt that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should have been more forthright and that the communication was a problem.
A number of Union Ministers could also face the ire of party leaders at the meet for their "total lack of communication" with party workers.
As several Union Cabinet ministers lost in their respective seats miserably, a senior party leader said that there was a total disconnect of the ministers with party workers and their "arrogance" is to be blamed for the backlash against the party.
While party sources have ruled out reports of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi offering to resign in the wake of debacle, the meeting could see some leaders raising uncomfortable questions about the party's campaign and alliance strategy.
There are questions being raised about the style of working of Rahul Gandhi but doubts are being expressed whether any one would make bold to raise them in the meeting to be presided over by Sonia.
An exercise has already begun in the party to insulate him from any blame game. Sonia and Rahul appeared before the media on Friday and took personal responsibility for the drubbing that left the party with just 44 seats in a House of 543, a huge climbdown from 206 seats it had in the outgoing Lok Sabha.
There are demands from the leaders that this time the customary practice of setting up a committee to go into the reasons for the defeat and then forgetting it should not be repeated.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 18 2014 | 7:40 PM IST

Next Story