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Even as the Congress officially thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his “able stewardship” of 10 years at the helm of successive tenures of the United Progressive Alliance government, several sections within the party are readying to pin the blame for their likely poll debacle on him and his government.
This move is seen as an attempt to shield party Vice President Rahul Gandhi for the electoral failure. The Congress had gone into the 2014 polls under the leadership of the Gandhi scion.
The Congress commended Manmohan Singh on Tuesday from its official platform for “his personal integrity”, “his ability to lead India in difficult times”, extolling the “growth, stability and social harmony” he had ushered in.
This was on a day when the Opposition, boosted by favourable exit poll predictions, was quick to say the Congress would make the outgoing PM “a scapegoat” for its impending defeat.
They were close to the mark. On Monday, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed was at pains to explain it was the party’s “collective responsibility” for any failure and not Rahul Gandhi’s, as "Rahul Gandhi is not in the government. All of us should be accountable." On Tuesday, Union Cabinet minister Kamal Nath stated the “results will be based on the government's performance and Rahul Gandhi is not a part of the government”.
He said the Singh-led government was not able to communicate and convey to the people its welfare programmes and its good work and that was its failure.
Another senior minister who wielded clout within the party, Jairam Ramesh, dismissed the Opposition accusations and said the party would deliberate after May 16 on pinning responsibility. However, distancing Rahul Gandhi from all this, Ramesh added that "Gandhi was an indefatigable campaigner. He held 125 rallies and went to every state. He brought the spirit to our campaign."
With the PM having already announced in January his decision not to run for another term, he had not played any major role in the Congress’ 2014 election campaign, too.
Apart from gracing occasions such as the release of the poll manifesto, party sources disclose that in all, he addressed only five poll rallies — in Assam (where he is an Rajya Sabha member), and in the Telangana and Seemandhra regions of Andhra.
While Singh will demit office on Saturday, he will continue to be in the public view as a Rajya Sabha member of the party.
ADIEU TO AN EVENTFUL DECADE
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s last few days in office
- Met his personal staff at 7, Race Course Road, earlier this week to thank them
- Met his official staff at the PMO on Tuesday to bid goodbye; 110 personal staff & 400 peripheral staff at South Block
- Congress president will host a farewell dinner for him at her 10, Janpath, residence on Wednesday
- To subsequently meet President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan
