Ahmed Patel's Daughter Hits Out At Congress: 'Can't Function Like We Did 10 Years Ago'

Congress leader Mumtaz Patel, daughter of veteran Congress stalwart late Ahmed Patel, on Wednesday issued a wake-up call to the party over its drubbing in the recently concluded Bihar elections.

In an interview with NDTV's Shiv Aroor, Mumtaz said, "We cannot function the way we did 10, 20 or 30 years ago. We are facing a different India. We are facing a different government. We are facing different opponents. And the way we are going is not the way we will be able to fight this system."

She had done some tough talking in an earlier Facebook post too.

"No excuses, no blame game, no introspection, it’s time to look within and accept reality. Till when will countless loyal ground workers who have stayed with the party through thick and thin … wait to see success … instead it’s failure after failure due to power concentrated in the hands of few who are totally disconnected with ground reality and are responsible for the misery and rout of the grand old party time and again. And mark my words, these same people will be rewarded again and again because they have made themselves indispensable with their control and power!![sic]," she posted.

On the Congress's performance in the Bihar elections, Mumtaz criticised the party's internal structure, arguing that while the party claims to fight for democracy nationwide, its own decision-making remains "concentrated in the hands of a few," leaving dedicated ground workers marginalised and unacknowledged.

"Those familiar with the ground are not given a chance," Mumtaz stated, highlighting a lack of accountability where she alleged the same individuals were repeatedly rewarded despite failures. She pointed out the sharp irony of the party striving to save the electoral process while failing to practice internal democracy. Addressing concerns over the system itself, Mumtaz suggested that if the electoral process is deemed corrupt, the entire opposition must unite to boycott elections rather than fight a losing battle.

She defended Rahul Gandhi’s efforts, noting he is "working hard," but pinned the blame for repeated defeats on internal elements who manipulate power. She urged the leadership to prioritise winning back the people's trust.

In the recent Bihar assembly polls, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bagged more than 202 seats in the 243-member House, with the BJP winning the maximum number of 89 seats, followed by the JD(U)’s tally of 85, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) seat tally slipped to 25 from 75. The Congress faced a humiliating rout, bagging only six out of the 61 seats it contested, down from 19.