New Delhi : Rahul Gandhi adamant on his decision to resign from the post of party chief, around 145 Congress’s office bearers who had risen from the Youth Congress ranks resigned en masse on Friday “in honour of” Rahul Gandhi’s decision on May 25 to step down from the President’s post.

 

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Congress’s ‘Old guard” in shaky waters

The mass resignations followed a six hour long meeting of former Youth Congress officer bearers who have since been elevated to various positions in the party. As many as 373 Congress functionaries participated in the meeting. Their main demand is that the present Congress Committee Presidents of the 17 states where the party failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat should step down.

 

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This group of younger functionaries is also hoping that the mass resignations would convince Mr. Gandhi to return. After almost a month of refusing to meet any senior leaders, Mr. Gandhi met leaders from four poll-bound States on Thursday and Friday.

 

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Congress’s ‘old wall’ in a crumbling state

The move is seen as a challenge to the old guard and a pressure tactic to push for the implementation of Mr. Gandhi’s plan of fixing accountability. Party officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr. Gandhi had expected his resignation to spur many others to follow voluntarily, allowing for a shakeup of the party organization. Instead, more than a month later, the stalemate persists with senior leaders attempting to coax him to return.