New Delhi: Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu is among the chief’s of five states who have been sacked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday after the drubbing in the recent Assembly elections.
The other four states whose Congress presidents have been asked to submit their resignations are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.
In a tweet, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala stated that the resignations were sought to “facilitate the reorganisation” of the state Congress units. The party suffered massive defeats last week in these five states, where it had hopes of putting in a brave fight, at least.
Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal has reportedly put in his papers soon after receiving order from the headquarters.
Sidhu took over the party’s reins in Punjab eight months ago but could not put up a credible fight and Congress lost to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Congress had hoped to make a comeback or at least, manage a close contest with the BJP.
Sonia’s move is a follow-up to the Congress party leader’s meeting on Sunday to discuss the latest poll drubbings.
At the Congress Working Committee (CWC)’s poll post-mortem, Sonia offered to resign along with her children Rahul and Priyanka.
“Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi said that she along with her family members Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are ready to sacrifice their posts for the party, but we all rejected this,” senior leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary told news agency ANI.
Rahul Gandhi, however, does not hold any post in the party after he quit as Congress president owning responsibility for the Congress’s 2019 national election drubbing.
After a four-and-a-half hour meeting, the CWC said Sonia Gandhi would remain party president and authorised her to take “effective and immediate steps” to address organisational issues.
Earlier in the day, former Union Minister Kapil Sibal said the Gandhis should step aside and give some other leader a chance to lead the party. “Leadership is in cuckoo land… I want a ‘Sab ki Congress’. Some want a ‘Ghar ki Congress’,” Sibal told the Indian Express in an interview.
