4.7.19

Rahul Quits

Rahul Gandhi formally quit as Congress president, more than a month after he offered his resignation to a Congress Working Committee meeting after the party’s rout in the Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi posted on Twitter his four page resignation letter, in which he thanked party workers for their love and support, exhorted Congress to radically transform to take on the might of the BJP and assured the party that he would always be available for inputs or advice. Gandhi changed his designation from president to “member of Congress and member of Parliament” within minutes of posting the letter.

“Accountability is critical for the growth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress president,” said his letter, not addressed to anyone but released as a statement later. “Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions and numerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019. It would be unjust to hold others accountable but ignore my own responsibility as president of the party,” he wrote.

Reiterating his stand at the May 25 CWC meeting, Gandhi said that he had taken on Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Mohan Bhagwat alone and party seniors did not support him in raising vital issues. “I personally fought the prime minister, the RSS and the institutions they have captured with all my being… at times, I stood completely alone and am extremely proud of it. I have learned so much from the spirit and dedication of our workers and party members, men and women who have taught me about love and decency,” the letter said.

“Immediately after resigning, I suggested to my colleagues in CWC that the way forward would be to entrust a group of people with the task of beginning the search for a new president. I have empowered them to do so and committed my full support to this process and a smooth transition.” Though there were reports of Congress entrusting the responsibilities of president to the senior-most general secretary, the party did not announce such an arrangement.

Gandhi attacked BJP for ‘weakening’ democracy. “I have no hatred or anger towards BJP but every living cell in my body instinctively resists their idea of India.” He also questioned the fairness of the Lok Sabha elections. “A free and fair election requires the neutrality of a country’s institutions; an election cannot be fair without arbiters — a free press, an independent judiciary and a transparent election commission that is objective and neutral. Nor can an election be free if one party has a complete monopoly on financial resources,” the letter said.

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