Rahul Gandhi surfaces in Parliament after poll debacle

Even as murmurs within the party grew over his leadership, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday surfaced in the Parliament - first time after poll results - rejecting the impression that his party was on a decline. Talking to reporters, he said overall "that is not a bad result." He attributed the BJP's sweep in Uttar Pradesh to multiple reasons, saying "large part of it is polarisation." He vowed to make the Congress fighting fit by the next round of Assembly elections and then the Lok Sabha poll. And for that, he said, "We do need to make structural and organisational changes."

Rahul's comments are seen bolstering morale of his leaders, who are shivering at the UP results, calling it a harbinger of the party's wipe-out in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "We are little down in UP, but look the Congress formed its government in Punjab and won the election in Manipur and Goa," he said. He told his MPs, who went to meet him at the party office inside the Parliament House complex that the Congress is engaged in an ideological war with the BJP. On his meeting with Punjab PCC chief Capt. Amarinder Singh and the next Punjab Chief Minister, he said, "I am confident that Punjab will once again rise to its true potential under a Congress government." Congress Chief Spokesman Randeep Surjewala taunted Prime Minister Modi that he said after winning thumping majority in Uttar Pradesh that "we shall be more polite (vinamra). "Abduction of MLAs in Manipur and trading in Goa for power. Salute to Modi ji's politeness," he tweeted.

In a series of tweets he said: "BJP now misusing CISF and Airport authorities to detain & abduct independent MLA Asabuddin at Imphal Airport and take him to Calcutta....Modi Govt is playing a dangerous game of subverting democracy & abducting MLAs by misusing CISF at Imphal Airport despite electoral loss. "Independent MLA Asabuddin is travelling with Minister Sh. Nasir. Federalism & rule of law being murdered in broad daylight," he added.

Within the party, there were voices criticising Rahul for not being seen since results were announced on Saturday. Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury, like other colleagues including Digvijaya Singh, emphasised that "Rahul is not responsible for the losses... he has never shied away from responsibility," but acknowledged that the party needs more than the standard "introspection" promised after every loss. Leaders at party headquarters blamed him for complacency, even after emerging single largest party in Manipur and Goa. "There were attempts to contact him to seek direction for staking claim, in absence of party president Sonia Gandhi. He didn't' respond, leaving party general secretaries and state unit chiefs in these states fumbling," said a leader, who was explaining the reason for delaying staking claim to form government in these two states. The BJP, on the other hand, was swift. Prime Minister Modi made Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to resign and ordered him to leave for Goa to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state as soon as possible.

Congress leaders, however, take solace at his comment that the party needs structural and organisational changes, saying they had been awaiting such changes since 2014 debacle in parliamentary elections. The Congress has been losing one state after another after the party's poorest ever performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when it was reduced to a mere strength of 44. Surjewala also said it will introspect on the reasons for the loss and will re-dedicate itself to strengthening the party and being the watchdog of people.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had sought to defend Rahul Gandhi over the poll debacle in UP, saying the results are not a referendum on him. "If you hold him responsible for defeat, you should credit him for winning Punjab also," he said.