BHOPAL: In a significant political development on Thursday evening, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and State Congress Committee chief Kamal Nath said that he had offered his resignation as state party chief, taking responsibility for party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
When questioned by journalists about Congress national president Rahul Gandhi’s Wednesday’s statements while meeting Youth Congress leaders, Nath said, “I don’t know about other leaders (other state party unit heads), but I had already offered to resign, taking responsibility of party’s defeat in the state.”
Rajya Sabha member and legal eagle Vivek Tankha, while backing Nath’s statement, tweeted, “We all should submit our resignations from party positions and give Rahulji a free hand to choose his team. I welcome Kamal Nath’s statement to that effect. I unequivocally submit my resignation as AICC Department chairman, Law, RTI &HR”.
Tankha, himself had lost the Lok Sabha polls from Jabalpur constituency. The MP CM’s statement about him having already offered to resign at (appropriate party forum) in the wake of Lok Sabha polls debacle, assumes significance, as post LS polls results, there were speculations about him having offered to quit as MP Congress chief at the AICC meeting to take stock of the poll loss.
The state media department of Congress in Bhopal had termed them as plain rumours. Five months after returning to power in MP, the Congress had suffered a humiliating defeat in the LS polls winning just one out of 29 seats.
The Congress national president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday had stated while talking to Youth Congress leaders that post-LS polls results he decided to quit as party president, but none of the state Congress presidents seemed concerned about giving their resignations.