The Congress cannot be united without the Gandhi family, the party's top firefighter DK Shivakumar said on Thursday, defending the leadership after a humiliating 0/5 loss in state elections that have renewed criticism of the leadership.
"Without the Gandhi family the Congress party cannot stay united. They are key for the unity of the Congress party.. It is impossible for the Congress to survive without the Gandhi family," the party's Karnataka unit chief said.
"Priyanka Gandhi took up a very tough fight and worked hard. But we could not get the results.. The thing is that the Congress has not been able to convince the voters of this country. The people of this country are not understanding. We got an opportunity to explain it to them, but have failed to do so," Mr Shivakumar said.
Brushing off the string of exits over the past few years, he said, "Those who are hungry for power can please leave. People who see personal gains are leaving Congress. The rest of us are not interested in power... We are loyal to the Congress party and the Congress ideology and will always stand with the Gandhi family."
