It is wrong to say that Congress is not mulling over the weakening of the organisation:Harish Rawat
All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Harish Rawat on Thursday said that in keeping with his stature, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal should refrain from making statements that demoralise party workers but instead should work to uplift the party.
He further said that state leadership is responsible for the poor performance at the state level.
"Big leaders should make motivating statements as the party workers look up to them for inspiration. If the party is in a bad position, leaders are required for such a situation only. They should support the party and make it stand on its feet again," Mr Rawat told ANI.
Mr Sibal had recently said in an interview that people of the country in Bihar and where by-polls were held do not consider the Congress to be "an effective alternative".
Mr Sibal, who is among 23 leaders who wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding sweeping changes in the party, also said that reluctance to address issues was because the Congress Working Committee was "a nominated body".
Speaking on Congress leader P Chidambaram's recent statement that the party's organisational setup is non-existent on the ground level, Mr Rawat said, "If the party is weak in Uttarakhand then Harish Rawat should be accountable for that. It is our responsibility to take responsibility for our areas as far as the party is concerned."
He further said: "Nobody is stopping anyone from doing introspection. But there is a way to call the meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). It is not that if the party loses somewhere, CWC should be called. It is wrong to say that Congress is not mulling over the weakening of the organisation. Congress is discharging its duties as the principal opposition party."
Concerning the upcoming Uttarakhand Assembly polls in 2022, Mr Rawat said that the party will make changes at the right time.