Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday indicated that she will soon retire from politics.
When asked about her role now that her son Rahul Gandhi is set to take over the reins of the party, the 71-year-old leader told reporters, “My job now is to retire”, according to NDTV. She was speaking ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, which began on Friday. She also said that Rahul Gandhi has been helping decide on vital party matters for many years now.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Friday clarified that Sonia Gandhi would only retire from her roles as party president and not from politics. “Her blessings, wisdom and innate commitment to Congress ideology shall always be our guiding light,” Surjewala posted on Twitter.
Sonia Gandhi, who took charge of the Congress in 1998, is the longest-serving president of the party. There has been speculation about her health, as she has been in and out of hospitals for months now.
Rahul Gandhi was named the next president of the Congress on Monday and is set to officially take charge on Saturday. He is the sixth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty who will lead the Congress.
Referring to this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said during an election rally in Gujarat that Gandhi’s rule as party president would be like “Aurangzeb raj”. The rule of the sixth Mughal emperor marked the slow decline of the empire.
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