Trouble in Rajasthan, MP after Cong decimation in Lok Sabha election

Jaipur/New Delhi: After Congress chief Rahul Gandhi gave Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot a tongue-lashing for putting his son above the party, several Rajasthan ministers and MLAs have demanded that accountability be fixed and action taken for the Lok Sabha poll debacle.

According to some of the leaders, who attended Saturday's Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Gandhi did a lot of "plain-speaking" in his surgical analysis of the role of several party leaders while himself offering to quit as the party president.

Ticking-off Gehlot for camping in Jodhpur for his son Vaibhav's election, Gandhi said the chief minister spent days campaigning extensively for his son in Jodhpur and neglected the rest of the state.

Gehlot had reportedly taken part in over 130 rallies and road shows, 93 of them in Jodhpur alone. His son, however, lost to the BJP, which took 24 of the 25 seats in the state, with one seat going to its ally.

After Gandhi's severe criticism, several ministers in the state have come out in the open, demanding fixing of accountability and action over the electoral drubbing just months after the party formed the government in the state.

Rajasthan Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said the CWC has given Gandhi full authority to fix the accountability and he will exercise that power.

Asked about Gandhi hauling up senior leaders for putting their sons over party, he said: "Rahul Gandhi ji has full right to say what he has to in the CWC. Nobody is above him and he would have said it after giving it full thought. All workers and leaders of the Congress respect his word. I also learnt from the media about it (Rahul's remarks)."

"If Rahul Gandhi ji finds fault with senior leaders, it is his right -- to fix accountability and take corrective steps," Khachariyawas said.

Echoing Khachariyawas' views, his cabinet colleague, Bhanwarlal Meghwal, also demanded that accountability be immediately fixed for the defeat. "Whatever Rahul Gandhi said is right...Action should be taken against those people who are responsible for this defeat so that a message goes to the workers. The Congress workers are also very angry," he said. The humiliating defeat for the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh has also triggered a demand for change in state party leadership.

At least two cabinet ministers of the Kamal Nath government have demanded that Congress national general secretary in-charge for West UP and former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia be made the MP Congress Committee (MPCC) president.

Women and child development minister Imarti Devi (a Scindia loyalist) and higher education and sports minister Jeetu Patwari have demanded that it's time that a young leader, like Jyotiraditya Scindia, be made the state Congress chief. "Scindia is best suited for the post, particularly due to being a young and charismatic leader, who has a future vision," Patwari said.

Meanwhile, Gehlot is in Delhi and met Congress general secretary in-charge K C Venugopal on Monday. However, what transpired in the meeting was not known.

Two state ministers have also come out in the open to demand a detailed assessment by the top leadership.

Cooperative Minister Udai Lal Anjana, and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Meena have said the party should review the reasons for the defeat so that the party bounces back and performs well in upcoming local body elections in the state.

Meanwhile, there were reports that Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria has resigned after party's poor showing in the polls. However, there was no conformation.

Several MLAs, speaking on condition of anonymity, said priority should be given to fixing accountability.

K C Vishnoi, DCC president Hanumagarh, lashed out at Gehlot for the poll debacle.