By conveniently forgetting, or ignoring, the fact that it was completely routed in Delhi, which was once its bastion, the Congress is celebrating the defeat of the BJP in the Assembly elections held in the capital recently. When compared to the BJP, which has improved its performance, the Congress’ show is dismal and devastating.
However, there are a few leaders in the party who seem to have understood the reality. Expressing concern over the Congress debacle in the Delhi Assembly elections, senior party leader M Veerappa Moily said the time to act is now as he called for a ”surgical action” to revive the outfit.
The Congress drew a blank for the second time in a row and saw its vote share dipping from 9.7 per cent in 2015 to 4.27 per cent this time.
Moily, a former Union Minister, argued that the Congress could not perform because its “votebanks have been transferred to AAP as they thought only he (AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal) can defeat the BJP.”
”That’s how the people have come to that conclusion.. no use in supporting Congress party; otherwise it will benefit BJP”, the former Karnataka Chief Minister told PTI.
”We are concerned. Scenario of Delhi is that people (voters) didn’t take the Congress seriously. They thought that they should not divert their votes, our own votebanks which normally used to come to us, have gone to AAP”, he said.
Moily said the Congress is concerned and worried about the humiliating defeat in Delhi, adding, ‘it’s a lesson which we have to learn.’
The party’s spokesperson and southern actress Khushbu tweeted, ”No time to retrospect. Enough of we doing that after every defeat. We don’t do the same after every win. Now is the time for action. Lets take it from #MahatmaGandhi and begin with ‘Be the change you want to see”.
Delhi Mahila Congress chief and party spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee lashed out at fellow party leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram who posted a tweet celebrating the defeat of BJP in Delhi Assembly elections.
She said,”the Congress should be concerned about its own drubbing in Delhi. It’s time for introspection”.