In more trouble for the crisis-hit Congress, Rahul Gandhi Wednesday publicly announced his resignation as its 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 a four-page open letter, Rahul also 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.
The 49-year-old leader –who has been adamant on his decision to quit as party president since 25 May, two days after the results in which his party won 52 seats — also stressed on the need for the Congress to ‘radically transform itself’. In a letter that was emotive in places and combative in others, he said he owed the country and his party a 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 as the chief of the grand old party. ‘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 posted on Twitter. With this decision, Rahul has set an example for other leaders in the party. Congress’ defeat in polls was not his failure alone. Will others follow suit?