Congress leaders sing Rahul Gandhi paeans, quit

With no clarity on Rahul Gandhi's continuation as president of the Congress, a number of junior Congress leaders assembled at the AICC office at 24 Akbar Road here to hold an impromptu meeting on the state of affairs of the Congress.

Surprisingly, the official rung of Congress was unaware of such a meeting. The media department too was taken by surprise as it was in the Parliament House.

The net result of the meeting was the collection of 130-plus resignations from a number of office-bearers of the Congress. They came from different sections like PCC and Seva Dal apart from the AICC. AICC secretaries who put in their papers include Anil Chaudhary, Rajesh Dharmani Virendra Rathore and Pawan Prabhakar. AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria and foreign cell secretary Virendra Vashishth also have put in his papers. On Thursday night, Congress legal cell head and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha too had put in his papers. More than 300 people had gathered for the impromptu meeting. Deepak Babaria said every Congress leader should take responsibility for poll debacle.

Sources said most of the people who gathered for the meeting were promoted by Rahul Gandhi. Their ire, apart from that of senior leaders, was also directed against the younger lot who climbed the organisational ladder with Rahul Gandhi's blessings.

Most of those who attended the meeting want senior leaders in AICC to also put in papers as they feel that Rahul alone cannot be held responsible for the defeat. Broadly, it is turning out to be a fight against the old guard and new guard within Congress after a massive poll debacle.

Surprisingly, one of the key organisers said the resignations are being sought from AICC functionaries and not the sitting chief ministers, lest state governments get destablised.