Overwhelming desire to elevate Rahul Gandhi as party chief: Ashok Gehlot

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has said that there was an overwhelming desire among all sections of Congress for elevation of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi as its president. If Gandhi leads Congress’ revival efforts from the front, it will ignite the fighting spirit of the entire rank and file of the party, Gehlot told ET on Thursday.

“There is an overwhelming desire and support among all sections of the Congress party for elevating Rahul Gandhi as the president of the party. Rahulji, as Congress president, leading the party’s efforts for revival can ignite the fighting spirit of the entire rank and file to put a united fightback,” the former Rajasthan chief minister said.

Ashok Gehlot, the former Rajasthan chief minister and a trusted 10 Janpath loyalist, added: “It should be left to Soniaji and the Congress Working Committee to decide the exact timing of Rahul Gandhi’s elevation. Rahul Gandhi is the one who has even turned down the prime ministership when Dr Manmoahn Singhji offered him the post.

This is because Rahulji always wanted to work among party workers for strengthening the Congress organisation. Who will not support such a person for the post of the Congress president? The entire line of party leaders and workers will rally behind Rahul Gandhi just as they had done under the leadership of Soniaji,” the former AICC general secretary said on Thursday.

Maintaining that the Congress has “the in-built capacity and wide-speared support among ordinary people” to bounce-back from the electoral reversals, Ashok Gehlot said: “It is a testing time for Congress workers like us. But everybody who is loyal to the Congress and committed to its ideology will join party’s fightback and struggle for the party’s revival under the leadership of Gandhi”.

Ashok Gehlot also took a pot shot at some post-defeat noises of discontent in the Congress and some desertions. “It is the leadership of the Congress party and support of the party workers on the ground who have given many people opportunities and positions of influence and power. Only those who are opportunists and fortune-seekers will leave the party, but true Congress people across the country will stand united and face the challenges ahead,” he said.