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Talk of churning in Congress: Rahul Gandhi may resign after poll debacle – will it happen?

Published

7 years ago

on

Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi may offer his resignation tomorrow (Saturday, May 25) at a meeting of Congress Working Committee to deliberate on the second successive debacle in Lok Sabha polls.

According to reports in a section of media, murmurs have already started within the party over taking responsibility for the poor performance of the Congress across the country, with some of its leaders already sending in their resignations.

The Congress won only 52 seats this time, drawing a blank in as many as 19 states. Once again, the Congress would fail to get the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha for its leader as in 2014 when it had got only 44 seats.

The party has reportedly convened a meeting of the Congress Working Committee, its highest decision making body, at 11 AM on Saturday and Rahul Gandhi is likely to offer his resignation at the meet, party sources said, reported The Indian Express (IE).

Also Read: Smriti Irani busts Gandhi bastion, myth of invincibility

Top party leaders, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, are expected to attend the meeting.

On Thursday, Gandhi said he took “100 per cent responsibility” for the defeat. Asked whether he would quit, he said: “Let that be between the Working Committee and me.”

In 2014, too, then Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – who led the campaign as party vice president – had both offered to quit after the party plunged to a historic low of 44 seats. The Congress, which has always been devoted to the Nehru-Gandhi family, rejected the offer.

Murmurs against the leadership are louder this time, say reports. “If they want to change anything, change the leadership,” news agency Reuters quoted an unnamed Congress leader from Rajasthan as saying.

There have already been voices within to introspect on why the party failed to reach out to the people.

Resignation of state leaders

Meanwhile, there have been some resignation from state chiefs. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar and Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik announced their resignations from the post owning responsibility for the party’s defeat in their respective states.

Also Read: Narendra Modi sweeps back to power, Opposition fails to put up a fight in most states

In UP, it managed to win only the Rae Bareli constituency of Sonia Gandhi out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Rahul Gandhi himself lost from his family bastion Amethi to senior BJP leader Smriti Irani.

Babbar, who contested from Fatehpur Sikri, was defeated by a margin of 4,95,065 votes by BJP’s Rajkumar Chahar.

“The results are depressing for the Uttar Pradesh Congress. I find myself guilty of not discharging my responsibility in a proper manner,” Babbar tweeted in Hindi. “I will meet the leadership and apprise it of my views. Congratulations to the winners for winning the confidence of the people,” he said.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said: “I have sent my resignation to AICC President (Rahul Gandhi) owning moral responsibility for the party’s poor show in both Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state. While the Congress faced defeat in the state, I too lost at the hustings,” he said.

Patnaik said “the party needs to take concrete steps to set the organisation in proper shape by getting rid of opportunists and attracting youths into its fold.” He said that he had tried his best to bolster the party’s poll prospects.

Patnaik said a committee, headed by senior leader Narasingha Mishra, has been set up to ascertain the reasons behind the drubbing suffered by the Congress in Odisha.

Congress won only one Lok Sabha seat and nine assembly seats in the eastern state.

Also Read: Assembly Election Result 2019

There are also reports that HK Patil, who was tasked to oversee the Karnataka Congress campaign in December, has quit taking moral responsibility.

The enormity of defeat

The Congress drew a blank in as many as 19 states and UTs, including Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and picked up one or two seats in the other states barring Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

If the party’s 15 seats in Kerala and eight each in Tamil Nadu and Punjab are to be discounted, then the tally would have dipped to 20. The Congress, one of its leaders said, has become a South India party, Punjab being the only exception where Chief Minister Amarinder Singh held out.

The drubbing was so severe that of the three Hindi heartland states where it returned to power in the assembly elections last winter, the Congress drew a blank in Rajasthan, won only one seat in Madhya Pradesh and managed just two seats in Chhattisgarh.

The good showing in Tamil Nadu too came largely with help from the DMK. It could win only one or two seats in state after state, among them Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Bihar, Goa, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Many of the Congress big guns lost — Mallikarjun Kharge and M Veerappa Moily in Karnataka, Digvijaya Singh in Madhya Pradesh, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja in Haryana, Ashok Chavan and Sushil Kumar Shinde in Maharashtra, Meira Kumar in Bihar, Pawan Kumar Bansal in Chandigarh, Sheila Dikshit and Ajay Maken in Delhi, Salman Khurshid, Raj Babbar and Sri Prakash Jaiswal in Uttar Pradesh.

Many of its younger faces, including the baba log around Gandhi in Lok Sabha, too fell by the wayside — Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sushmita Dev, Deepender Hooda, Milind Deora, RPN Singh and Jitin Prasada.

Murmurs for fixing accountability

The debacles have got some of the leaders calling for fixing of accountability. At least two leaders said they plan to write to the Congress president, demanding an urgent meeting of the CWC to “discuss what went wrong and the way ahead”, reported IE.

Reacting to the results, senior Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi said to The Indian Express, “I am not surprised,” while another senior leader Anand Sharma said “we lost the narrative and there are many things for that matter which should have been seriously reflected upon on which I don’t want to comment now.”

Also Read: Lok Sabha Election Result 2019

One leader, reported IE, said many seniors had “serious reservations on certain things which were put in the manifesto like dilution of AFSPA and all… in an election fought on hyper-nationalism, Pulwama, Balakot… you are saying that you will remove AFSPA and redeploy the Army… repeal the sedition law. And then you question Balakot and the Indian Air Force. It went down very badly with the people.”

“We failed to reached out to the youth… you can’t give them 6000 rupees… there was total disconnect,” another senior leader said. “People wanted to hear what is your message, vision… they did not want to hear nonsense… none of the senior leaders, from the very beginning, were in favour of usages like chowkidar chor hai, Gabbar Singh Tax and all… these are not Congress phraseology. What will happen if you rely on former JNU activists,” one senior leader said.

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Amit Shah praises Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, says Nation above post

Amit Shah hailed Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Union Education Minister, saying BJP places the nation and students above any position while highlighting the government’s commitment to examination reforms.

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 26, 2026

By

Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday praised Dharmendra Pradhan’s decision to step down as Union Education Minister, saying the move reflected the Bharatiya Janata Party’s commitment to placing the nation and students above any political position.

In a post on X, Shah said that for BJP workers, the country, its youth and students are more important than any office. He described Pradhan’s resignation as an example of the party’s guiding principle of prioritising national interest over personal ambition.

Shah highlights government’s focus on exam reforms

Amit Shah said the Narendra Modi-led government respects the sentiments of students and remains committed to strengthening the examination system following concerns over alleged paper leaks.

He said the Centre has introduced strict measures to ensure severe punishment for those involved in examination paper leaks and expressed confidence that these steps would deliver justice to students who cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Praises Pradhan’s work as Education Minister

Recalling Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure, Shah highlighted several initiatives undertaken during his time in the Education Ministry. He credited Pradhan with helping implement the National Education Policy (NEP), expanding PM SHRI schools, promoting digital education, strengthening skill development and improving coordination between industry and academic institutions.

Shah also said Pradhan worked towards making examinations more inclusive and student-centric, adding that his tenure reflected his commitment to the vision of a developed India.

Resignation follows NEET controversy

Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation comes amid nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and growing demands for accountability.

The resignation has triggered political reactions across party lines. While opposition parties have described the development as a result of sustained student protests, BJP leaders have projected it as an example of accountability and commitment to national interest.

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Centre ready for NEET debate in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi’s paper leak claims to be investigated: JP Nadda

Union Health Minister JP Nadda said the government is prepared for a detailed Parliament debate on the NEET paper leak issue and will investigate Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of multiple paper leaks over the last decade.

Published

4 days ago

on

July 22, 2026

By

JP-Nadda

The Centre has reiterated its willingness to hold a detailed discussion on the NEET paper leak issue in Parliament, with Union Health Minister JP Nadda saying the government is prepared for a debate of any duration. He also said Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of around 152 examination paper leaks over the past 10 years would be investigated.

Government open to debate of any duration

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, JP Nadda said the government has consistently supported a discussion on the paper leak issue in Parliament. He stated that the Opposition could decide the duration of the debate through the Business Advisory Committee, whether it is a short discussion or one extending to 12 or even 18 hours.

Nadda, who is also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, said the government remains fully prepared for a comprehensive discussion and urged the Opposition not to shift its position on the issue.

Rahul Gandhi’s paper leak allegations to be examined

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s recent presentation, Nadda said the Congress leader referred to nearly 150 paper leak incidents over the last decade. He described those claims as a matter that requires investigation and said the government would examine the allegations before presenting the facts to the public.

According to Nadda, a responsible government is committed to verifying such claims and ensuring that the truth is established through due investigation.

Calls for a united approach on NEET issue

Highlighting the significance of the matter, Nadda said the future of students should remain the top priority for both the government and the Opposition. He appealed to political parties to work together in finding a long-term solution to prevent examination irregularities.

He added that safeguarding the interests of students is a shared responsibility and called for constructive cooperation instead of political differences.

Nadda on meeting with CJP representatives

The Union Minister also spoke about his recent interaction with representatives of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). He said the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, during which the government listened to their concerns and asked them to submit their suggestions in writing.

Nadda said the government remains open to further discussions whenever required and clarified that no meeting with the group was held on Wednesday.

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Opposition demands Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation before NEET discussion in Parliament

The Opposition has demanded Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation before any discussion on the NEET paper leak in Parliament, while the Centre says it is fully prepared for a debate.

Published

4 days ago

on

July 22, 2026

By

The political deadlock over the NEET paper leak issue continued in Parliament on Wednesday, with Opposition parties demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before any discussion takes place. The Centre, however, maintained that it is fully prepared to debate the matter during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

Leading the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said there could be no fair discussion on the NEET issue unless Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post.

Centre rejects Opposition’s condition

Responding to the Opposition’s demand, Leader of the House JP Nadda said the government was not avoiding a discussion and remained open to debating all issues, including the alleged NEET paper leak.

He said the government had already made its position clear and described it as transparent, adding that it was willing to discuss every matter raised by the Opposition.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also reiterated that the Centre had been ready for discussions since the beginning of the Monsoon Session. He said the government had consistently conveyed its willingness to debate the NEET issue and other important matters.

Rijiju added that if the Opposition was looking for reasons to avoid a discussion, it would not be appropriate. According to him, the procedure and timing of the debate would be decided after consultations among all parties under the Chair’s guidance.

Opposition maintains resignation demand

The government also informed the House that its willingness to discuss the issue had been communicated to Congress leaders and representatives of other political parties.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav echoed the Opposition’s stand, saying students were seeking the resignation of the Education Minister before any discussion. He asserted that the resignation should come first, followed by parliamentary debate on the issue.

Akhilesh Yadav also joined Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition MPs during a march towards the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday as part of the protest over the NEET controversy.

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