Shattered by the party's worst debacle in the elections, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday (May 19) offered to resign accepting responsibility but the party unanimously rejected it. Their offer came at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in the backdrop of rumblings in the party over the style of functioning of Team Rahul and demands for action against them. The party authorized the party chief to carry out for a "thorough revamp" at all levels and passed a unanimous resolution expressing their total faith in the leadership of the Gandhis as it debated the way ahead in in the party's apex decision-making body. "Accountability has been talked about. Wait for the reorganisation," was the succinct answer from party general secretary in-charge of organization Janardan Dwivedi who briefed the media after the CWC meet. The CWC resolution pledged to the millions of Congress workers that it will create within the party opportunities and structures that will pave the way for a "thorough revamp of the organization at all levels". Hinting at major changes at the level of the organization and in states ruled by the party, the resolution also said "corrective measures must be taken at the level of the party and at the level of state governments formed by Congress."

It was preceded by the categorical assertion by the CWC that "both the government and the party must share responsibility for the failure and we do so." Making his resignation offer, Rahul Gandhi said he feels that the kind of accountability he feels there should be in the party is not there and he begins this accountability by offering to relinquish the post as felt he could not fulfill the expectations party leaders had from him. The Congress President said "I believe I have not been able to bring about the necessary changes to strengthen the party. Therefore, I take full responsibility for this crushing defeat and I am prepared to relinquish my position." Rejecting the resignation offers of Gandhi as "no solution," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he, being the head of the government, also takes responsibility for whatever shortcomings existed at the government level. Party leaders said this was perhaps for the first time that the Congress chief offered to resign after electoral debacle. The constitution of a committee to go into the debacle is likely with Sonia Gandhi telling the meeting that "as a party, we must introspect on the results in all seriousness and in depth." TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami speaks exclusively to Digvijaya Singh, Senior leader of Congress, and questions the unanimous decision of the Congress party for the rejection of resignations of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

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