UP unit of Congress Party to be revamped, indicates Rahul Gandhi

In the post mortem process of recently concluded UP assembly election defeat, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi reportedly find out several flaws in current party structure of Uttar Pradesh unit and indicated to dissolve it.

In the reviewing process, Gandhi met party leaders including MPs, legislators, union ministers and some former party MPs from Uttar Pradesh as part of stocktaking of the party's poor performance in the assembly polls, told them that he will ensure that the party is strengthened in the state.

According to former party MP Rajesh Kumar Mishra, who attended the meeting, Gandhi asked the MPs if he should dissolve the state unit, and the response was in the affirmative.

"The response was unanimous yes. The MPs told him to reconstitute it in the way he wanted," Mishra said.

He said Gandhi also asked MPs if he should fix responsibility for the party's poor performance.

"They (the MPs) said accountability should be fixed from today evening," Mishra said.

Gandhi also told party leaders that indiscipline will not be tolerated and ministers should address concerns of workers.

Gandhi spoke about forming a complaint cell so that workers can complain against ministers who do not listen to them.

The Congress general secretary indicated that sincere workers will be entrusted responsibilities.

MPs told Gandhi that certain statements made during the campaign had hurt the party. Though union ministers Salman Khurshid, Beni Prasad Verma and Sri Prakash Jaiswal were not named, the MPs said controversial statements should not have been made.

"Lots of statements were made which should not have been made," said a party leader after the meeting.

He said party MP P. L. Punia conveyed his unhappiness about remarks of a union minister about him but did not take any name.

Party leader Salim Shervani said the discussions were "frank" and Gandhi made it clear that he was there to "stay" in UP.

He said Gandhi told the leaders to remove shortcomings so that the party was prepared for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Shervani said among the reasons identified for party's poor performance were weakness of organisation, failure to convert support into votes, problems in ticket distribution, inability of the party to project itself as alternative to Bahujan Samaj Party and statements concerning Batla house encounter and reservation for Muslims.

He said the party had no reason to be desperate in the state as it had registered increase in its vote share and had finished among the top three in around 200 seats.

"It is easier to win (in the next election) if you have 25,000 votes... Now we have to take this forward," he said.

State Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi had told reporters earlier in the day that Gandhi had spoken about making necessary changes in the state unit.

"Whatever is necessary will be done. Such indications have been given," she said.

--With IANS Input--