Congress should ruthlessly reinvent itself: Jairam Ramesh

Voicing concern over  Congress debacle in  Delhi assembly polls and crisis it is facing in some states like Bihar and  Uttar Presh, senior Congress leer Jairam Ramesh has suggested that party "ruthlessly" reinvent itself or face prospect of becoming irrelevant. Senior leer Veerappa Moily too has called for a "surgical" action to revive party in context of  Delhi election drubbing.

'Congress has to reinvent itself'

In an interview to PTI, Ramesh said: "Congress leers have to reinvent mselves. Congress party has to reinvent itself if it has to be relevant. Orwise, we are staring at irrelevance. Our arrogance has to go, even after six years out of power sometimes, some of us behave as if we are still ministers," he said.

Asked about leership issue in party, he said local level leers have to be encourd and nurtured. y have to be given freedom and automy, he ded.

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" substance and style of our leership have to change. We are virtually n-existent in Bihar, We are almost extinct in UP but we are strong in Rajasthan, Mhya Presh, and Chhattisgarh. Haryana we have come back," Ramesh said.

party has to "ruthlessly reinvent" itself, he maintained.  Congress leer claimed  Delhi election result was a rejection of Amit Shah, who was chief campaigner of BJP.

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"It is a resounding slap on his face and it is a rejection of langu used in campaign, tactics used in campaign," Ramesh said.  Congress leer, however, said his party, which ruled Delhi for 15 years during which key infrastructure including ros, Metro and airport were built, suffered a severe drubbing in polls.

Responding to a query on presence of an increasing number of leers from Kerala in central leership, he hailed style of functioning of  Congress and its leers in sourn state but opined "we cant become a Kerala centric party."

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"In Kerala, we face a peculiar position because we are competing against CPI(M). But what works in Kerala may t work outside Kerala. We cant become a Kerala-centric party although we have very influential Kerala leers w at top of  Congress party." Ramesh did t favor formula put forward by party MP Shashi Tharoor for electing  Congress president, saying  Congress presidency is usually a consensus choice.

"Shashi Tharoor has given an election formula. But in long history of Congress party, re were only two occasions we h elections. I am totally at a loss to understand why Tharoor me such a suggestion," he said.

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