Rahul firm on offer to quit, CWC or Congress panel may take call

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is set to leave on a thanksgiving trip to his new constituency Wayanad, even as his offer of resignation as party chief has triggered such uncertainty that the AICC urged the media on Monday not to speculate on issues arising out of Saturday’s meeting of the Congress Working Committee.
Sources said Rahul would visit Wayanad in Kerala for possibly two days during which he would thank the voters with public meetings. The constituency trip has assumed greater importance in the wake of his defeat in traditional family seat of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
The trip is being planned amid indications that Rahul has not yet budged from his resignation offer.
However, sources said there was a possibility of the Congress leader coming around, with the CWC having given him its nod to carry out drastic changes in the organisation.
Sources said amendments to the party constitution are being considered as part of the organisational overhaul. Also, pressure is building from state units that Rahul continue in his post, a reason why state unit chiefs have begun to resign owning responsibility for defeat in their turfs.
As things stood, Congress appeared unsettled by the events set in motion by the CWC meeting that reviewed the election debacle.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot was in the capital on Monday but left without meeting Rahul, having to settle with discussions with AICC organisation in-charge K C Venugopal. It triggered reports that Rahul continued to be unhappy with the Rajasthan leader.
At the CWC meeting, Rahul Gandhi lashed out at Congress veterans Gehlot, Kamal Nath and P Chidambaram for insisting on tickets for their sons despite his reluctance while he also criticised the senior leadership for not aggressively campaigning against BJP and leaving him to wage a solitary battle, as reported by TOI.
It was at this meeting that Rahul announced his desire to quit the post of the AICC president, which was rejected by the CWC.
Amid unceasing speculation, AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the CWC deliberations were a frank exchange on the poll debacle in which no aspersions were cast on the role of any individual.
“Congress expects everyone, including the media, to respect the sanctity of a closed-door meeting of the CWC. Various conjectures, speculation, insinuations, assumptions, gossip and rumour-mongering in a section of the media are uncalled for and unwarranted,” he said.
The continuing uncertainty over Rahul Gandhi has led to confusion. To some, Rahul’s stance is reminiscent of his 56-day sabbatical after the 2014 Lok Sabha defeat. In 2015, he suddenly went off on a “spiritual journey” in what was viewed as his expression of anger at not being given the freedom to run the party as per his ideas. He was still the heir apparent then.
Now, the fear in Congress is that a prolonged stalemate could further demoralise the party cadre, especially with crucial assembly elections coming up in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand.