Cong plans another meet to discuss LS debacle threadbare

The Congress is likely to convene a meeting of either the AICC or its extended Working Committee (CWC) to discuss threadbare the reasons for its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.

A blame-game is on in the Congress with its leaders holding the UPA minsters responsible for the debacle. The CWC had met on May 19 and briefly deliberated on the causes leading to the electoral defeat.

“We need to reflect more, deliberate more, debate more and draw the right lessons," Congress president Sonia Gandhi had told the meeting of the Parliamentary Party on Friday and urged members not to indulge in public acrimony.

However, that has not stopped the leaders from venting their anger.

“In UPA-II, we did not have a product to market,” a high-ranking party leader said on condition of anonymity. He pointed out that the UPA-II began on a wrong note with senior ministers nursing their egos, which led to inordinate delays in implementing crucial decisions such as creation of Telangana.

A number of Congress leaders are also blaming “arrogant” ministers who showed little inclination to help the party workers and chose to reach out to the workers of the opposition parties.

Former Union minister Milind Deora had claimed that the advisers of Rahul Gandhi were at fault, while senior minister V Kishore Chandra Deo had blamed “rootless wonders and spineless creepers” for the party’s debacle.

A senior party leader said issues like altercations among senior ministers, 2G scam and the Radia tapes and the anti-corruption stir launched by Anna Hazare were not dealt with properly.