Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he is not involved in the selection of the new Congress president. Gandhi had offered to resign as the Congress chief last month following the party’s huge loss in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress Working Committee had rejected his offer, but Gandhi has remained adamant about quitting.
“I am not getting involved in that process [of selecting a new president],” Gandhi told NDTV. “I don’t think that will be correct for me. That will complicate matters.” Gandhi said he will continue to work for the Congress though.
Gandhi also reiterated that there has been corruption in the Rafale deal. “I maintain my stand that there has been theft in the Rafale jet deal,” he told reporters outside Parliament. The government has denied any wrongdoing in the deal.
The Congress won just 52 out of the 542 Lok Sabha seats for which voting was held in April and May. The Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, secured 303 seats.
Congress leaders have opposed Gandhi’s decision to step down as the party chief. Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Sunday asserted that the party needs a “major surgery” after their dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections. But reiterating his earlier stance, Moily said that only Gandhi can lead the party. He said that those in charge of the All India Congress Committee and state units of the Congress must be held accountable for the party’s loss, and not the Congress president.
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