Don't blame Pachouri for Cong failure in MP polls: Scindia

New Delhi, Dec 10, 2008: Coming out in defence of MPCC
president Suresh Pachouri, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia
today said instead of blaming an individual for MP Assembly
polls debacle, leaders should take collective responsibility.
"We should not blame an individual for the party's
poor performance in Madhya Pradesh. It is a matter of
introspection and we need to take collective responsibility,"
Scindia told PTI.
The Minister said that despite best efforts the party
fell short on peoples' expectations. "There are many areas
where the party did not perform well," he said.
Congress' defeat in the recently concluded assembly
polls has triggered a blame game within the party as to who
should be held responsible for the loss.
Referring to reports regarding differences with in the
party circles over Pachouri's appointment as MPCC chief before
the elections, Scindia denied that the former's elevation had
anything to do with the party's defeat.
Citing reasons behind recent debacle, scion of the
Gwalior royal family said the party did not perform well in
Malwa region having 85 of the 230 assembly seats.
Earlier, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath had said that
lack of coordination among workers at district and block
levels was responsible for the party's defeat.
Political analysts claimed that though Scindia and his
aunt Yashodhara Raje Scindia, BJP MP from Gwalior, who were
not contesting played a key role in distribution of tickets in
the Congress and ruling BJP respectively.
"Pachouri is known as a man who has never won an
election in his life," lashed out a senior party leader. "It
would have been unthinkable for him to work for the success of
230 candidates for the assembly polls," he claimed.
The only leader, who can claim victory of his men with
some justification is AICC General Secretary and former Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh. "His 19 supporters have
been elected to the state Assembly," the leader said.
On the lacunae within the party, Scindia said, "there
is a lot of room for improvement. Some weaknesses were there
and the leaders should try to overcome them."
The BJP has been successful in retaining power in
MP for the second consecutive term. It had won the 2003 polls
defeating Congress which was in power for ten years.