Rahul must be given full responsibility: Nath

"I think that the time has come where Rahul Gandhi must be given the full responsibility. He must shoulder the responsibility and  then it is upto him to succeed or fail," Nath told NDTV.

"There are many occasions when Mrs Gandhi thinks Rahul is doing something, Rahul thinks Mrs Gandhi is doing something and it falls between two stools....It must be left to Rahul Gandhi to make his team, we must look to make a Congress party of the future," he said.

Nath said Rahul Gandhi, who triggered a controversy by taking leave of absence when the parliament's budget session began with the much debated land bill being the burning issue for the opposition, is not on a holiday.

"It is bizarre to hype Rahul's leave. Rahul Gandhi is not on holiday. Rahul Gandhi is not missing. He announced that he is going," Nath told the news channel.

The Congress experienced a total rout in the Delhi elections failing to secure a single seat.

Sonia said  the party would not comment on whether Rahul Gandhi was abroad.

Rahul Gandhi's decision drew a sharp criticism from different quarters, including from party insiders like Digvijay Singh, who said the timing could have been better.