Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday refuted media reports that party president Rahul Gandhi offered his resignation during the ongoing Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi. "He did not offer to resign at Congress meeting," Surjewala clarified.
Earlier in the day, reports were doing the rounds that Rahul had offered to resign taking full responsibility for the party's poor show in the Lok Sabha elections. The reports added that his offer was rejected by the top leadership of the party during the Congress Working Committee meet.
Top Congress leaders from across the country got together in New Delhi on Saturday to review the party's drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls. The CWC meeting, chaired by Rahul Gandhi, is being attended by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Uttar Pradesh (East) in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and chief ministers of four party-ruled states—Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh—and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The meeting will go into the reasons behind the party's debacle and discus as to why its poll narrative failed to convince the people.
Senior leader and former Union minister P. Chidambaram was also present in the meeting alongside his party colleagues including AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sheila Dikshit, Mallikarjun kharge, Ambika Soni, Anand Sharma and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
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Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot also attended the meeting along with their Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel.
Though the party improved on its 2014 tally of 44, it could win just 52 Lok Sabha seats this year. The party could not open its account in 18 states and Union Territories.
Murmurs are already appearing within the party over taking responsibility for its poor performance, with some of its leaders already sending in their resignations.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar and Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik have announced their resignations from the post.
(With PTI inputs)