Congress Working Committe members likely to resign; to attack Rahul Gandhi's advisors

Congress Working Committe members could offer their resignation at its meeting today in the wake of the party's worst-ever performance in the Lok Sabha polls, amid indications that it could witness an attack on advisors of Rahul Gandhi while insulating him from criticism.

While there has been no official word about such a move, the talk about the CWC members offering to resign in the first meeting of the party's highest decision making body since the poll debacle began following remarks of Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, that "all, including myself, are responsible for the party's loss." "How can you blame any individual for this result? It is the collective responsibility of both the party and the government. All, including myself, are responsible for the party's loss," Patel has said in the wake of resentment in the party at the way Rahul ran the election campaign.

While party sources have ruled out reports of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi offering to resign in the wake of debacle, the meeting could see some leaders raising uncomfortable questions about the party's campaign and alliance strategy.

The meeting is taking place amid a clamour within for a surgical action to revamp the party.

There are questions being raised about Rahul's style of working but doubts are being expressed whether anyone would be bold enough to raise them in the meeting, which will be presided by Sonia.

An exercise has already begun in the party to insulate him from any blame game. Sonia and Rahul appeared before the media on Friday and took personal responsibility for the drubbing that left the party with just 44 seats in a House of 543, a huge climbdown from 206 seats it had in the outgoing 15th Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, party leader Manish Tewari said the resignation of the party leadership in the wake of the poll debacle is not the way forward.