Congress will take lessons from AAP, says Rahul Gandhi; Sonia vows to rectify all errors

New Delhi: Congress, which was routed in Assembly elections in four states, is yet to decide on its PM candidate. Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi is the front-runner in the party, however, the crushing defeat might cast shadow on his nomination in the recent future.

When asked if her son Rahul, party vice-president, would be named PM candidate, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Sunday: “We have not made any statement. The party has to decide... The party will decide at the opportune time.”

She later added: "I think people need not worry. At the opportune time, the name of the PM candidate... the name of him will be announced." Her stress on the word 'him' has triggered speculation that Rahul Gandhi might now be forced to bite the bullet and take Modi head on.

Gandhi, facing the media along with his mother, put up a brave front and decided to take a lesson from the AAP: “We will learn from them (AAP) and we will involve people in a way that no one has ever done before."

Sonia vows to rectify all errors

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Sunday that the party was 'very, very disappointed' with its drubbing in four states, and vowed it would do 'deep introspection' to 'transform' the party and 'rectify its mistakes' ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

“We accept the verdict of the people with all humility. We congratulate our opponents for winning the elections,” she said.

She also suggested that Sunday’s results would have little bearing in 2014 as 'general elections are quite different'. Gandhi added: “We have to look into the way we took or did not take our message to the people.”

Next: Congress wants Sonia to revive it again

Congress wants Sonia to revive it again

DC/Venkatesh Kesari

New Delhi: A shell-shocked Congress is looking to Sonia Gandhi to lead the campaign against Narendra Modi, who has emerged stronger following the BJP’s victory in the Madhya Pradesh, Raja-sthan, Delhi and Chhatt-isgarh Assembly polls and the challenge posed by civil society through the Aam Aadmi Party .

“She alone can lead a credible front against the BJP-led front and the AAP,” viewed a seasoned and senior Union Cabinet minister.

The outcome of the Assembly elections in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram may or may not be semi-final to the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for early next year, but it has put a question mark on the ability of the grand old party to win the coming general election and questioned the competence of Generation Next.

Responding to a question on whether Rahul Gandhi would be named the Prime Ministerial candidate, Gandhi told mediapersons, “We will make a statement. The party has to decide. The party will decide at the opportune time.”

Gandhi had brought the anti-BJP parties together shortly after the Congress’ defeat in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatt-isgarh Assembly polls in 2003. She had allied with the DMK, MDMK, PMK, NCP, Left and other parties and made history by defeating the ruling NDA led by Atal Behari Vajpayee in just four months (April-May 2004).

But in the last 10 years, the party focused more on governance than the organisation despite Mrs Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi staying away from power. If Congress insiders are to be believed, Mrs Gandhi is the only credible face that can unite the anti-BJP parties.

The Congress’ youth brigade, bureaucrats-turned-politicians, technocrats, careerists and ambitious leaders have not been delivering bec-ause they have not connected to the people and rely on managerial skill to win elections.

The year 2013 was indeed a bad year for the Congress. If the defeat in four states weakens its bargaining power with the non-NDA parties in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other states when the Antony committee begins seat-sharing talks with them, the big question is who is the vote-catcher in the Congress.

The Congress fought the polls on the performance of the Centre and Delhi and Rajasthan governments and made corruption in BJP-ruled Ma-dhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the issue during the campaign. But the people rejected this.

Selection of candidates, infighting and promotion of kith and kin affected the party’s prospects in all the four state.