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Admitting that the loss in Uttar Pradesh was hurting, the Congress on Saturday said some fundamental restructuring and tough decisions on strategy were required besides introspection.
The opposition party congratulated the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the victory in UP and Uttarakhand, highlighted its own gains in Punjab and Goa and said it will introspect on its performance.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said the party stands resolute and committed to its values of a united India and will continue its fight to win people’s hearts.
He thanked the people of Punjab for giving the Congress a mandate for ensuring a ‘bright future’ for the state and its youth.
“The UP is a bad loss, it hurts...I agree that, in UP, we need fundamental restructuring thinking for the Congress as a whole. These have to be hard, tough decisions about strategy,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
Party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said it will introspect on the reasons for the loss in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and will re-dedicate itself to strengthening the party and being the watchdog of people.
“We congratulate the BJP and PM Narendra Modi on the victory in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. We bow before the verdict of people of the two states. The Congress never arrogates in victory and is not discouraged in defeat,” he said.
Gandhi, in a message to all party workers, said, “We stand resolute and committed to our values and our belief in an India united in strength and purpose.”
“Our fight continues and will not end till we win the hearts and minds of people,” he also said.
Taking a dig at the BJP, Surjewala said these election results are also a lesson to those who are never tired of speaking about ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ (Congress-free India).
“We hope that BJP will shift the narrative from ‘Shamshan-Kabristan’ to the politics of development and brotherhood that is intrinsic to the ‘Ganga-Jamuni’ culture of
UP and will provide the much-needed relief by waiving farmer’s loans, market driven MSP for crops, jobs for youth and ushering in a new era of industrialisation,” he said.
To a question on Shah hailing Modi as the ‘tallest leader’ in the country since independence, Surjewala said it could be the BJP’s prerogative to say so but no one is above democracy.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad sought to defend Rahul for the poll debacle in UP, saying the results are not a referendum on him.
“If you hold him responsible for defeat, you should credit him for winning Punjab also,” he said.
On questions being raised over Rahul's leadership, Azad said he was neither the chief minister of the state nor was the Congress the ruling party.
“We were a small minor partner in the state,” he said, adding it was not just the Congress that lost but also the regional parties the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party which had higher stakes.
He dismissed that the people of UP voted for Modi, saying people voted for the BJP.
“None is bigger than democracy. When an individual considers himself or herself bigger than democracy, nation, then it is natural he or she will commit mistakes and lose track,” Surjewala said.
“We hope that along with their victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, they will learn lessons from defeats in three states of Punjab, Manipur and Goa. They will not portray a person bigger than country, democracy, we hope,” he said.
He said the Congress recognises its historical responsibility in UP and Uttarakhand and will stand committed to rebuilding the party organisation and will win people’s hearts and minds.
Surjewala said the Congress has won elections in three of the five states.
“We will form government in one state (Punjab) and are in a position to form governments in two other states (Manipur and Goa). Elections in these states were also contested under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
“The Congress vice president is known for his plain speak. When Congress lost 2014 polls after serving in the Centre for 10 years, Rahul Gandhi was not even a minister then, but he came forward and took upon the responsibility.
“The Congress leadership will take responsibility and take corrective steps in two states where we could not win. This is how Congress works. Congress leadership never shies away from responsibility. When Congress wins, it is because of the Congress workers. When it doesn’t, the Congress leader takes upon itself the responsibility for making course correction,” he said.
Surjewala claimed that the people of Manipur and Goa have given mandate to the Congress to form the government.
He said if the BJP is planning to hatch one more conspiracy, like it did in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh in the past, to rewrite history by decimating democracy is a question that needs to be addressed by the BJP.
“We sincerely hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will not engage in such misadventure to decimate the will of people.
“Congress will form government in Punjab, Manipur and Goa. We feel Modi ji and Shah ji, will not dare insult the democracy,” he said.
Another Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad attributed the party’s poor show in the politically crucial UP to ‘public mood’ and said its performance will be ‘scrutinised’.
To another question on whether the UP poll result was a referendum on demonetisation, he said before proceeding to claim credit, it is time Arun Jaitley also looked at the defeat of the BJP in the three out of five states.
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel also congratulated Rahul and Amarinder Singh and other leaders who worked tirelessly in Punjab for a spectacular victory.
‘I congratulate the BJP leadership for its extraordinary performance in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
‘It is surprising that the same performance was not reflected in Punjab, Goa and Manipur,’ he tweeted.
IMAGE: Supporters of Congress celebrate their candidate win assembly elections in Imphal on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo