Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said she had the “deepest respect” for her brother Rahul Gandhi’s decision to step down as the party’s president. This came a day after Rahul Gandhi announced he would no longer lead the party, and asked it to find a replacement soon.
“Few have the courage that you do,” Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, tagging her brother and sharing the tweet in which he announced his decision. “Deepest respect for your decision.”
In his statement, Rahul Gandhi said as Congress president he was responsible for the party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. “Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party,” he said. “It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress president.”
Senior Congress members, however, said Rahul Gandhi would continue to be their leader despite officially resigning as party president.
Rahul Gandhi had offered to step down as Congress president on May 25 after the party managed to win only 52 of 543 parliamentary seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Though the Congress Working Committee unanimously rejected his resignation, Gandhi remained firm on his decision. Several top leaders had urged him to continue leading the party.
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi met the chief ministers of the five Congress-led states, who asked him to reconsider his decision. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said they were hoping for a “positive decision” after the meeting. Over the last week, several Congress leaders have resigned from their posts to give Rahul Gandhi a free hand to choose a new team.
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