The question whether Rahul Gandhi will be the Congress’s leader in parliament remained unanswered today as the meeting of the party’s lawmakers ended soon after choosing Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson. Acceptance of the post by Rahul Gandhi will be seen an indication of a possible rethink on his decision to quit the top post of the party, over which there has been an impasse since last week.
Mr Gandhi has refused to reverse his decision despite repeated appeals from the Congress and has refused to meet the leaders who flocked to his home to press the issue.
In his address to party’s lawmakers today, Rahul Gandhi said the party still has 52 lawmakers in parliament and “will fight the BJP every day”.
When we had 45 members last time, I felt it is going to be really a tough job. I felt that the BJP has 282, we were 45, within a couple of weeks I realised that 45 Congress Members are enough to take on 282 BJP members,” he said.
The Congress winners, he said said, must “understand who you are”.
You are probably the first people in this country’s independent history, who have fought an election not against a political party but against every single institution in this country. There is not one institution that did not fight you and tried to stop you from coming into the Lok Sabha and you fought every single one of those institutions and you forced your way into the Lok Sabha. And that is something you should be extremely proud of,” he said.
The Congress Party may have just 52 Lok Sabha members, but we will work together like a pride of brave hearted lions to protect our Constitution & Institutions & to fearlessly do our duty as the leading Opposition party. The BJP will have no walkover in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/Rx8aUZcqn3
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 1, 2019
The position of the Leader of the Congress was occupied by party veteran Mallikarjun Kharge in the last Lok Sabha. Mr Kharge, however, has lost the election this time, beaten by the BJP candidate from Karnataka’s Gulbarga.
In what was seen as a reference to the missing members, Mr Gandhi said, “I would be happy if the old faces were here and they are ideologically with us. We will try and rejuvenate ourselves and we can do it”.