Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Jul 8: R V Deshpande, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, lamented the fact that he has not been getting the expected level of support and cooperation from the other leaders for strengthening the organizational set up of the party. "I am confessing this feeling from the depths of my heart," he said.

He was speaking at the conference of the state level office bearers of the party's scheduled communities’ wing at Bangalore on Tuesday July 7. "It has been nearly nine months since I took charge as the state president of the Congress. Still, I have not been able to draw full support of party functionaries and the organizational strengthening of the party remains a mirage. Because of this, we faced utter defeats both in the assembly by election and the Lok Sabha election," he said, expressing total helplessness.

“The defeat of the Congress candidates was caused by our own party-men. Many leaders of our own party hatched plans to defeat the official candidates fielded by the Congress Party. As a result, we lost,” he explained.

"Our party has not yet gained strength at the booth and block levels. We are yet to consolidate our positions at the grass root level. The allegation that the BJP distributed cash and liquor during the election might be genuine. But we should think over the position of the party and our readiness to fight others," he said in a voice choked with emotion. "We have an economist as the Prime Minister, national president Sonia Gandhi who has sacrificed a lot for the party as well as for the nation and our government at the centre has implemented so many people-friendly programmes. In spite of all this, if we are unable to build the party strongly in the state, we have to blame ourselves for it. The party activists and leaders should take up the responsibility of explaining the programmes implemented by us for the people and earn their trust. If this is not done, it becomes very difficult to build the party from the roots," he added.

It may be recalled, that Deshpande, frustrated over the issue of original Congressmen and those have migrated from other parties that had threatened to blow out of proportions, had asserted a few days ago that he was not particular about latching on to the post of the party president and that Sonia Gandhi had made him the president. It appears that he nurses a feeling that the Congressmen have not wholeheartedly accepted him as yet, as the state president during the last nine months.