AK Antony hoists flag on Congress Foundation Day; Sonia calls for united Congress fight

New Delhi: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, in her online message on the Congress Foundation Day on Monday, called for the “unity of Congress” to strengthen itself and fight against the “authoritarian atmosphere” prevailing in the country, even as her son Rahul Gandhi tweeted from Italy to display his enthusiasm over the cause of the party on the occasion and for the agitating farmers in India.

Facing a barrage of media queries about Rahul Gandhi skipping the Congress Foundation Day event, the AICC spokesperson claimed that he went abroad to meet his ailing grandmother, a reason the party had cited once in the past too when Gandhi made another foreign trip.

Speaking to media persons, Priyanka Vadra expressed support to the agitating farmers but turned away as soon as reporters asked her about her brother’s absence. With ailing Sonia not turning up at the party headquarters and Rahul skipping the event to go abroad ahead of the New Year’s eve, senior leader AK Antony did the honours of hoisting the Congress flag at the 24 Akbar Road customary foundation day event, which also happened to be his birthday.


Ghulam Nabi Azad, the leading light of the party’s pro-change group, was conspicuously positioned next to Antony on the podium along with AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and AICC in-charge of administration Pawan Banswal with CWC members and other AICC functionaries, including Vadra –– lined up to salute the party flag. In a virtual address as part of the “#SelfieWithTiranga’ organised by the Congress social media, Sonia said Congress which fought for Independence should strengthen itself through unity to fight “the atmosphere of authoritarianism now prevailing which is taking the country back to the preIndependent situation...”