Congress has to decide whether it wants to become an NGO or a political organisation: Milind Deora

India

oi-Preeti

Mumbai, May 23: Former Union Minister of State for Communications and IT, Milind Deora has become the first person from the Congress team to vent out his anger over party's drubbing in Lok Sabha polls.

According to an Indian Express report, Deora, who lost contest from South Mumbai constituency, put the whole blame on Rahul's team of advisors by saying "Rahul Gandhi's advisers did not have their "ears to the ground" and those with "no electoral experience" were "calling the shots", but added that "the people who take the advice also have to bear responsibility".

While showing the defeat as a "collective responsibility", Deora attempted to shiled Rahul by saying, "many factors led to the party's defeat and Rahul's leadership alone could not be blamed, "it was not about one person's image but the people surrounding that person also".

"A lot of us felt our voices were never heard. We felt our voices don't matter. This has to change. The MPs and ministers should not feel we are being not heard," he further said.

Deora also advised party to "open up" and "promote avenues for dissent and debate internally".

While blaming the communication and coordination in the party, Deora said, "we were going wrong drastically... There were things unfolding for a long period of three years. The party's response was 'arrogant' and 'insensitive'.

"The party was sitting and watching what was happening and unfolding. The party should have stepped in long time back," he added.

"There are many people from top to bottom, who are to be blamed", he said.

On Congress's new role as the opposition party, Deora said, "We have to be an aggressive opposition now. It needs certain skill sets, leaders, communication skills, strategists, and all these things require discussion, debate and deliberation. We have to have the right people at the right place. The kind of people who are calling the shots now... People who are policy experts, technocrats, researchers should be connected with the dotted line to the organisation. They should not be a part of the core organisational chart of the party as has been happening for the last few years."

In February too, Deora had said a lot would have been different for the UPA government and the Congress party if Rahul Gandhi had got into government five years back.

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