Cong begins post-mortem on Gujarat fiasco

Party leaders, who looked dejected and forlorn and refused to talk to waiting media, said they had been asked to submit an initial report on the Congress performance ?in a few days time?. The meeting, chaired by Gandhi, was attended by key managers of the Gujarat polls including AICC general secretary in charge BK Hariprasad, Digvijay Singh, Prithviraj Chavan, Motilal Vora besides state leaders including PCC chief Bharat Sinh Solanki, CLP leader Arjun Modwadia and Union minister Shankar Sinh Vaghela.

For the record, Hariprasad told reporters after the meeting that they only had an initial discussion and would be doing a review of the poll results in days to come. There were clear pointers , however, that the results, coming as a bolt from the blue to the party, had its own adverse impact on the leadership. Sources said that the state leaders would be giving individual reports to the general secretary in charge who would then submit a comprehensive report to the Congress president.

Gandhi had earlier in the day convened the meeting, to deliberate on the below expectation performance of the party. Meanwhile, AICC general secretary Digvijay Sinh had sought to deflect criticism of the central leadership by insisting that the local leadership was responsible for the poll outcome.

Talking to reporters, he said the state elections are fought by the local leadership and the polls revolved around state-specific issues.

However, BK Hariprasad, AICC General Secretary and in-charge of Gujarat has already owned responsibility for the defeat and has said there were organisational weaknesses in the party in the western state that need to be plugged. A debate, has also begun in the party on whether Modi?s impressive showing was due to the chief minister exploiting the ?tactical mistake? of Gandhi?s ??liars and merchants of death?? remarks.