Rahul Gandhi Goes To Amethi!

On his first visit to Amethi post his defeat, Rahul Gandhi calls for collective responsibility and organisational revamp

- Soni Mishra

As Rahul Gandhi arrived to meet party workers, it poured in Amethi—the gloomy weather reflecting the mood in the Congress. It was his first visit to the constituency since his shocking defeat to BJP’s Smriti Irani in the Lok Sabha polls.

A few hundred party workers attended the meeting on July 9, braving the incessant rains to reach Nirmala Institute of Women’s Education in Gauriganj. The perfunctory slogans in praise of Rahul were raised as he walked in. But the feeling of dejection was unmistakable on both ends of the dais.

Those who attended the closeddoor meeting said Rahul smiled, but his face betrayed a deep sense of hurt. He spoke with a lot of emotion, they said, assuring workers that his association with Amethi was intact despite the defeat. “Sadak se sansad tak aapki ladai ladunga, aapke muddon ko uthata rahunga (I will fight on your behalf, from the streets to Parliament. I will keep raising your issues),” he told them. “Whenever you need me, I will be here, be it day or night.”

He described his visit to Amethi as “homecoming”, underlining the traditional connect the Gandhi family has had with the constituency. In return, workers implored him to stay on as Congress president.

While the main aim behind the visit was to reassure workers about his continued association with Amethi, Rahul firmly told local functionaries that the defeat reflected on them as much as it did on him, and that they, too, had to shoulder the responsibility for the loss. He also hinted at the need for a change in the way the organisation worked here.