Partap Bajwa resigns as vice chairman of AICC foreign affairs dept

Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa Saturday resigned from the post of vice chairman of foreign affairs department, AICC, while urging party chief Rahul Gandhi to take charge once again.

"One must, of course, practice what they preach. In that vein, I am tendering my resignation from the post of vice-chairman, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Foreign Affairs Department," Bajwa said in a statement here.

"As a senior member of the party, I take responsibility for the state we are in today, and commit myself to the deep structural changes that we are in dire need of," said the Rajya Sabha member from Punjab.

He urged Gandhi, who had resigned as party chief, to take charge once again, and build an organisation that is "free of all feudal and inter-personal rivalries".

"I hope to help rebuild a Congress party that can face the deadly forces of communalism and authoritarianism with the dignity and the courage of the Congress party of old. It would be fair to say that the future of our great nation depends on it," he said.

There have been a spate of resignations in the Congress party across the country following its Lok Sabha election debacle.

After Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced his decision to quit in the wake of the party's dismal performance in Lok Sabha polls, many leaders of the state units have followed suit.

Gandhi has reiterated that there is no going back on his decision, despite requests by leaders from his party and outside to continue in the post.