Don’t fall into the trap of conjectures: Congress tells media amid Rahul’s resignation rumours

"Congress expects everyone, including the media, to respect the sanctity of a closed-door meeting of the CWC. Various conjectures, speculations, insinuations, assumptions, gossip and rumour mongering in a section of the media is uncalled for and unwarranted," Surjewala said.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: May 27, 2019 08:37 PM IST

3 min read

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders addressing the press after the results. (Express photo: Anil Sharma)

Congress media in-charge Randeep Surjewala on Monday urged the media to respect the sanctity of the closed-door meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and desist from falling into the ‘trap of conjectures’. The statement comes amid speculation that Rahul Gandhi was adamant on stepping down as Congress chief after the poll debacle despite the CWC unanimously rejecting his offer.

“Congress expects everyone, including the media, to respect the sanctity of a closed-door meeting of the CWC. Various conjectures, speculations, insinuations, assumptions, gossip and rumour mongering in a section of the media is uncalled for and unwarranted,” Surjewala said.

Since the CWC meeting on Saturday over the party’s disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha polls, there have been speculations about Rahul being firm on his decision to step down as party chief. Sources also said that Rahul was open to the idea of leading the party in the Lok Sabha while letting someone else be party president.

READ | ‘Rahul was frank in his assessment… unhappy with lack of support from senior leaders’

“We would request everyone, including the media, to not fall into the trap of conjectures or speculations and await the calibrated efforts of the Congress party towards a future course of action,” Surjewala said.

The Congress leader also said the CWC authorised Rahul Gandhi to look at the reverses in the Lok Sabha elections as an opportunity for radical change and a complete organisational overhaul.

“CWC held a collective deliberation on the performance of the party, the challenges before it as also the way ahead, instead of casting aspersions on the role or conduct of any specific individual,” he said.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Congress managed to win only 52 seats – its second worst defeat in the 134-year old party’s history. In the CWC meeting, Rahul said the party had regularly elected its presidents from “outside the Gandhi family” during the freedom struggle and after it.

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