Rahul Gandhi has issued a letter where he makes it clear that his decision to quit as party president is final. The designation of “President” is also missing from his Twitter bio, which now says “Member of Congress and Member of Parliament”. The letter marks a realisation among senior party colleagues that their efforts to get Rahul to change his mind will not work and he is determined the party select a new President. In his letter, seen as a letter of resignation, he says
“It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation. I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love. As president of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election. Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress president.”
Rahul said he had tasked a group of people to search for a new president. The letter also focused on other factors in his loss, commenting that he “personally fought the prime minister, the RSS and the institutions they captured with all my being”.
“The Prime Minister’s win does not negate the breadth of corruption allegations against him; no amount of money and propaganda can ever hide the light of the truth.”
He appeared to question whether a free press, an independent judiciary and a transparent election commission were missing in election 2019. “The stated objective of the RSS, the capture of our country’s institutional structure, is now complete,” he said, referring to the ruling BJP’s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Fearing that there was a real danger that elections would become a mere ritual “from now on”, he said: “This capture of power will result in unimaginable levels of violence and pain for India. Farmers, unemployed youngsters, women, tribals, Dalits and minorities are going to suffer the most.”
He ended with a call for his party to “radically transform” itself.
He explained in his letter: “Most of my colleagues suggested that I nominate the next Congress president. While it is important for someone new to lead the party, it would not be correct for me to select that person”.
His words indicated that a non-Gandhi may take charge of the grand old party that has mostly been headed by members of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
Rahul Gandhi said the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s top decision-making body, should call a meeting at the earliest and decide on a new chief.
—India Legal Bureau