Congress going through tough times: Sonia Gandhi

NEW DELHI: The worry gnawing at Congress in the wake of the debacle in assembly elections found expression on Wednesday with party chief Sonia Gandhi acknowledging that they were passing through trying and challenging” times.

“We are meeting in trying and challenging circumstances . The results of the recent assembly elections have been deeply disappointing ,” she told party MPs.
Sonia also tried to lift the spirits of her troops . “Let us all go from here mindful of the challenges ahead but also mindful of the fact that no odds are insurmountable for aparty such asours ,for a party with our legacy , with our history andwithour track record of achievement ,” she said on the concluding day of the penultimate session of the 15th Lok Sabha .

But the emphasis seemed to be on acknowledging the party’s failure to market its welfare politics , as well as to meet the aspirations of the people . “We are going into the causes of the defeat . There are many, but it is obvious that we have not been able to convince the people of our policies , programmes and achievements . We have not , it seems , been able to fulfill their aspirations ,” she said .

Significantly , Sonia said besides “dissatisfaction of some sections of the people ” with former party governments in Delhi and Rajasthan , dissension in the two state units also contributed to the drubbing .

Along with the candour came the exhortation to fight “divisiveness and sectarian interests” : code phrase for Narendra Modi-led BJP which routed Congress in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh , bested it in Chhattisgarh and was prevented from scoring an outright majority in Delhi only because of AAP’s stellar performance . The Congress chief said defeat should not deter the party from fighting “those who offer only a narrow and destructive alternative” .