With no new ‘post-2014’ story, Cong blames Cong

HAVING BEEN wiped out from the city in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll and restricted to just five segments in the subsequent Assembly election, the Congress leadership was banking on the Maharashtra civic election for rebuilding the party’s base.

Instead, stunned by its worst electoral defeat in a civic poll in Mumbai and losses across the state, the Congress was fumbling for an answer as it clutched at a familiar alibi: infighting.

But even as Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam and AICC general secretary Gurudas Kamat blamed each other, top party leaders pointed to deeper problems — the absence of a “new narrative post2014”, “disconnect” with voters and organisational issues.

The party was relegated to third position in the BMC polls on Thursday, down from 52 seats in 2012 to just 31 seats. In 2012, the Congress had come second, after the Shiv Sena (75), while the BJP was third (31). The party had won 71 seats in 2007, 61 in 2002, and 49 in 1998.

Top leaders said factionalism is not the only reason behind the defeat. “It is not only local. It is a national picture also, to be honest. There is little acceptability for the party after the 2014 elections. We have not given a new narrative,” a former Union Minister told The Indian Express. A DAY after the clashes at Delhi University, the street theatre festival at SGTB Khalsa College was “postponed” on Thursday, allegedly because the ABVP-LED Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) issued “repeated threats” over the “anti-national themes” of some of the plays.

Saikat Ghosh, staff advisor of the theatre society at Khalsa College, said the programme was cancelled “under duress”.

“The competition had to be cancelled after repeated threats from DUSU. The police also appealed to us to call off the event in the interest of restoring peace and normalcy on the campus. We had no other option, but we condemn the incident. DUSU claimed some of the plays (from

Oinam Anand Police personnel at Delhi University on Thursday.