NEW DELHI: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who was re-elected as the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson on Tuesday, hailed the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, stating that the party has “once again demonstrated its resilience” despite being up against a “mighty and malevolent machine”.
After being elected as the CPP president, Sonia Gandhi highlighted the determined leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge.“Many wrote our obituaries, but under the determined leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge we persevered,” she said.
Noting that the Congress’ numbers in Parliament have increased significantly, Sonia Gandhi said there was now a “renewed opportunity for us to establish parliamentary democracy in our country and bring parliamentary politics back on track”.
She also praised her son Rahul Gandhi‘s contribution to the election effort. “Rahul deserves special thanks for his tenacity and determination to fight unprecedented personal and political attacks … Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra were really historic movements which rejuvenated our party at all levels,” she added.
Sharp attack against Modi
Sonia Gandhi also attacked PM-designate Narendra Modi who she said had sought the mandate solely in his name and “suffered a political and moral defeat”.
“PM Modi has lost the mandate he sought and thereby lost the right to leadership as well … Far from taking responsibility for failure, he intends to get himself sworn in again on Sunday,” she added.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge welcomed the re-election of Sonia Gandhi as CPP chief, stating that “she will continue to guide us”. “She continues to serve the party and I salute her for this,” he added.
“The country knows about the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. Now there will be a very strong opposition in the country. Certainly, the leadership of Sonia Gandhi will give extra energy to all of us,” said Congress leader KC Venugopal