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Time for overhaul, Capt must go: Ashwani Kumar New Delhi , March 20 He also reminded the state leaders that “they cannot escape moral and political responsibility for the defeat.” Ashwani, who is from Gurdaspur and is a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, told The Tribune the party needed a “total overhaul” in the state. That meant having a new chief for the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC). Spelling out the reasons for the party’s defeat, Ashwani Kumar said: “It is a shocker. We are disappointed and dismayed. There is a demand for a comprehensive review. I am sure the party high command will take suitable remedial action.” He blamed the state leaders for wrong allocation of party tickets. “We made a mistake in allotting party tickets to some candidates, which created rebels out of loyal party workers.” Ashwini made it clear that he wanted Amarinder Singh removed along with those heading various factions. “I think this is the time for total overhaul of the organization. It is time a young dynamic person took over the party in Punjab,” he said. Amarinder Singh on Monday was quoted as saying that his detractors should not waste their time picking on him. “These could be his personal views. It is evident if the party decides otherwise, he cannot stay a day longer,” said Ashwani. Elaborating on the kind of person suited to head the PPCC, the Central Minister said: “I would say anyone who has idealism and dynamism, and one who is loyal to party ideals. The person should have the capacity to forge a consensus…if we have a young, dynamic, Dalit face, I would support such a candidate.”He said the party was unable to gauge the public sentiment and took for granted the anti-incumbency sentiment. “ A lesson from Punjab is that traditional vote banks can no longer be counted upon as being a constant source of support,” Ashwani said. “We lost many seats to the BJP by large margins. In many cases, it was on account of wrong selection of candidates. The fact that relatives of many senior leaders lost is even more unfortunate,” he added. It (Punjab poll debacle) is a shocker. We made a mistake in allotting party tickets to some candidates, which created rebels out of loyal party workers... It is time a young dynamic person took over the party in Punjab — Ashwani Kumar, Senior Congress leader
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