Sonia elected leader of Congress MPs, hails Rahul

New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi was yet again elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) at a meeting of party MPs at the Central Hall of Parliament on Saturday, putting to rest the week-long speculation over the possibility of Congress president Rahul Gandhi taking over the responsibility from her in the 17th Lok Sabha.

The party was earlier abuzz over the likelihood of Mr Gandhi playing a bigger role in Parliament after his surprise decision to step down as party chief in the wake of the defeat in Lok Sabha elections. He will now continue as party president till the time a suitable replacement is found.

Taking over the CPP leader’s responsibility, Mrs Gandhi said “decisive measures” are being mulled to strengthen the organisation and lauded Rahul Gandhi’s “fearless leadership”.

“In this time of crisis, we must acknowledge the numerous challenges confronting the Congress party. The CWC met a few days ago to deliberate the next steps and the way forward for us. Several decisive measures to strengthen the party are being discussed,” she said, while hinting at changes in the Congress.

Mrs Gandhi said it was time to draw appropriate lessons from the party’s defeat in the elections and declared that undeterred by the many challenges that lie ahead, “we (Congress) will rise again”.

As leader of the Congress in Parliament, Mrs Gandhi has the authority to decide the leaders of the party in both the Houses.

During the CPP meeting, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed Mrs Gandhi’s name which was unanimously approved by all the MPs.

After her election, Mrs Gandhi thanked the 12.13 crore people who voted for the Congress, pointing out that even in defeat, the party has a sizeable voter base.

Striking an emotive note, she thanked Rahul Gandhi “for toiling night and day and taking on the Modi government... raising concerns about all sections of society and helping the party win in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan”.

She said, “As we speak, emotional messages are coming for his continuation (as the party chief).”

In her speech, the CPP leader called upon party MPs not to let their guard down and urged them to play the role of an effective Opposition and ensure better coordination and cooperation with like-minded parties in Rajya Sabha.

Asking members to raise those issues Parliament that resonate in the minds of party workers and public, Mrs Gandhi said that the party will play a constructive role in supporting the government in reform measures but will oppose it for its “divisive and regressive actions”.