NEW DELHI: After avoiding meeting his own party leaders, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and discussed the political situation. He also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet.
Rahul Gandhi, who had offered to resign as party president after taking responsibility of the party’s Lok Sabha election debacle, met Singh and Pawar at their residence. Both leaders asked him to continue as party president. Kumaraswamy also visited Rahul Gandhi and discussed the current political scenario in the state where both parties are running a coalition government.
“I called on AICC President Rahul Gandhi today. We spoke about the current political scenario in the State and how the coalition government is functioning smoothly. I appealed to Rahul Gandhi to not quit the AICC president position,” he tweeted after the meeting. Rahul Gandhi has been adamant about his resignation and had asked party leaders to find a new president. He has not been meeting party leadership. Ahead of the meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting on June 1 where the newly-elected Congress MPs will elect their new leader, senior party leaders Ahmed Patel, Digvijay Singh and Mallikarjun Kharge held separate meetings.
Following the party’s second worst performance in elections, the Congress started first steps towards restructuring with its decision to stop sending party panelists on television debates for a month. “All media channels/editors are requested to not place Congress representatives on their shows,” said a statement issued by communications department chief RS Surjewala.
According to party sources, there is expected to be a complete revamp of the communications department. Many more heads are expected to roll as the party is preparing for massive organisational changes, including shifting many state in-charges and heads. Several Pradesh Congress committee heads have already offered to resign.