Those responsible for protecting MPs have failed in their constitutional duties, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday, in an apparent attack on the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman over the suspension of opposition members from the two Houses of Parliament.

Addressing party leaders at a crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), Kharge also said his party has learnt valuable lessons from the recent assembly polls and urged party workers to focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections now.

This is the first meeting of the Congress' highest decision-making body after the party's poor showing in the assembly polls.

Noting that the outcomes of the elections in five states, barring Telangana, were "disappointing", he said the Congress has conducted a preliminary analysis of the results and identified the reasons behind its performance.

"Despite the results, there are some positive indicators, such as the vote share in these states, which give us a definite hope that given due attention, we can certainly turn things around.

"We have learnt valuable lessons from the mistakes we have made and are committed to not repeating them," he told the CWC.

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