NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday rallied behind Rahul Gandhi saying workers want him to come back as party president. Downplaying talks of bringing a leader not connected to the Nehru-Gandhi family, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the family has served the party unmindful of the trappings of power.
Surjewala said former prime minister Manmohan Singh had offered to resign and make way for Rahul to take the top post but the latter declined the offer. On Priyanka Gandhi’s comments about a non-Gandhi party chief, as mentioned in a new book, he said those were made a year ago and in a different context.
“Millions of Congress workers & leaders have seen that Rahul Gandhi has led the fight tirelessly, undaunted by the setbacks and vile attacks by the Modi government. It is this fearlessness that the Congress requires, Workers respect and Nation needs,” he added.
His statement is significant as it comes at a time when several party leaders have demanded that either Rahul take over the reins or the party elect a new chief. In the book India Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders by Pradeep Chibber and Harsh Shah, Priyanka is quoted as saying: “Perhaps not in the (resignation) letter but elsewhere, he has said none of us should be the president of the party and I am in full agreement with him.