Congress suspends ex-Minister for calling Rahul a 'joker'

Some of those who spoke at the executive also made critical comments against the central leadership, without naming Rahul or any other top leaders, party sources said.

However, most senior leaders held that it would be inappropriate to put the entire blame on any particular leader.

In Nagpur, senior Congress leader and former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar disagreed with Mustafa's assessment.

“I do not agree with what a senior Kerala leader said about Rahul,” he said.

On change of party leadership, Aiyar said, “Congress had (fared) badly previously in regimes of prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and also under P V Narasimha Rao. But at no time did the question of change of leadership crop up”.

Backing Sonia and Rahul, Aiyar questioned whether parties like SP, BSP, who too got bruised in polls, have changed their top leadership?