Ambika offers to quit over Rajasthan, MP poll fiasco

Cong General Secy, who is in charge of affairs in MP and Rajasthan, offered to resign taking moral responsibility for debacle in polls.

Congress general secretary Ambika Soni, who is in charge of party affairs in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, has offered to resign taking moral responsibility for the party's election debacle in the two states.

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"Soni has publicly accepted her moral responsibility for the party's defeat in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and offered to resign," party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters here.

Asked whether AICC General Secretary incharge of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Ambika Soni would resign in the wake of the party's drubbing in the two states, Reddy said "she has offered to resign taking moral responsibility for the defeat in the two states".

To a volley of questions on the status of her General Secretaryship, he said she continued to hold the post.

Asked about resignation of AICC general secretary incharge of Chhatisgarh Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief spokesman said he has not not been able to talk to him (Deshmukh) on the matter.

On party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's reported statement that the setback would help Congress to prepare itself better for the future polls, he said every setback should be taken in the right spirit.

Dismissing CPI-M allegation that Congress was adopting 'Soft Hindutva ' in Madhya Pradesh and supporting BJP's economic policies, Reddy said "CPI-M is our solid ideological partner when it comes to secularism. But it was confusing itself over the economic policies of the Congress party".

Rejecting suggestions that poll outcome indicated that party President Sonia Gandhi's 'Charisma' was on the wane, said "Sonia's Jaadu (magic) will speak in Lok Sabha polls. If we have lost in 2003, we will win in 2004".

Asked whether Congress President's daughter Priyanka Vadra was being approached by party leaders to join active politics, Reddy said he was not not aware about it.