Congress’ real problem is ego, says party veteran

New Delhi, June 29: The Congress party is going through its toughest time after the Lok Sabha debacle in which it managed to win only 52 seats, an addition of just eight seats in its 2014 tally.

Miffed and demoralised Congress president Rahul Gandhi has resigned from his post and despite requests from all party leaders he is not ready to rethink about his decision.

The resignation spree has been going on in Congress to give Rahul Gandhi a free hand to choose his new team.

Many Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) presidents have submitted their resignations.

On Friday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretaries Virender Rathore, Anil Choudhury, Rajesh Dharmani and Foreign Cell Secretary Virender Vashist resigned. The Working president of Delhi and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee also resigned from their posts.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Sheila Dikshit on Friday dissolved all 280 Block Congress Committees in Delhi "with immediate effect".

On Thursday, senior Congress leader Vivek Tankha resigned from the position of deputy chairmanship of the AICC.

In a tweet, he urged Rahul Gandhi to make drastic changes to revive the party as a fighting force.

However, a veteran Congress leader is unimpressed with what is happening in the party post Lok Sabha election results.

What is going to happen even if Congress finds a replacement of Rahul Gandhi, asks a veteran and retired party leader.

Nothing will change in the party until and unless Congress leaders, including the Gandhi family, shun their ego, which has become DNA of the party since it started ruling the country. Despite several electoral defeats, it's the ego of the leaders that has been holding them to adapt themselves to the changing political scenario of the country, says the veteran.

After the demise of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, there has always been a group of leaders which ensures that there should be a gap between Gandhi family and rest of the party. This group has been enjoying all the perks of being a bridge between party and Gandhi family without any accountability, he adds.

What the veteran has said has substance. If one visits Congress headquarters then it is visible that there is no change in the attitude of those leaders, who are either AICC office bearers or have a say in the party.

Neither they often used to sit in their offices at party headquarters before Lok Sabha elections, nor have they changed a little bit after the Lok Sabha drubbing.

The veteran says that if you closely observe the conduct of senior Congress leaders and AICC office bearers then you will notice that they all consider themselves as another 'Gandhi'.