Mumbai: In the wake of the Congress’ poor showing in the recent civic and zilla parishad polls in the state, its leaders have started speaking against the party line.

The state Congress’s youth cell’s deputy chief Satyajit Tambe on Friday wrote a letter to the party’s national vice-president Rahul Gandhi saying, “Experimenting with the youth and student bodies of the party must stop.” Mr Tambe spoke out against Mr Gandhi’s pet project — internal elections in the youth and student wings of the party. To attract the youth, Congress must shake off its ‘experimental mentality’ and it needs to be practical, Mr Tambe said.  

In a letter written to Mr Gandhi, Mr Tambe has suggested shutting down internal elections as they were ‘hurting the party’. He said that two important wings had already ‘collapsed due to the experiments’. This is significant, as it comes from someone who himself had fought these elections and is close to Mr Gandhi. The experiment was hailed as the Gandhi scion’s master plan to revamp the party.

Mr Tambe wrote, “I agree that the thought process behind this experiment might be good, but today both organisations have totally collapsed, both in the party workers and commoners’ view. I think this is the most important reason for the party’s failure in recent days. Those between 18 and 40 have been unable to connect with the party. I strongly feel that these internal democracy experiments should be stopped and young blood should be given a chance to work at various levels based on their abilities.”

When contacted, Mr Tambe elaborated, “All senior leaders of party were in the youth or student wings for many years. Their leadership matured over the years. But today due to the elections, these bodies are under the control of state leaders and no outsiders are joining the party.”

Senior Congress leaders across the country have started picking faults within the organisation and in such a situation, Mr Tambe’s letter indicates that even the ‘Rahul Brigade’ is disturbed about its future.