Former central minister Milind Deora, who criticised the Congress leadership for the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha election, Thursday clarified that his remarks were expressed out of "deep loyalty" and "pain"."My comments are out of emotions of deep loyalty to the party, pain of our performance & a sincere desire to see us bounce back. Nothing more," Deora wrote on his Twitter handle."Field party work & electoral battles are key to comprehend ground realities. This should form the basis for leadership posts in the Congress," he wrote in another tweet.Deora created a flutter in the political circles by launching a scathing attack on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's advisors for not having "their ears to the ground".Without taking name, he also criticised Rahul Gandhi by stating that those who "take the advice also have to bear responsibility". He made these remarks in an interview to a leading national daily.
Former Congress MP Priya Dutt Thursday said a "bigger role" in the party organisation should only be given to "elected representatives". "The Congress governments at the centre did a lot for the welfare of the people but we could not project our achievements or communicate them well," Dutt said.Former central minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said: "Victory or loss are matters of collective responsibility."Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman refused to comment on the controversy, saying it was an "internal matter" of the Congress.The Congress won just 44 seats in the recent Lok Sabha polls.