Rahul Gandhi's decision to quit as Congress president might have been rejected by senior party leaders, but he has found support in his sister Priyanka.
According to an NDTV report, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, however, wanted Rahul to give party leadership time to think of an alternative course of action.
On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi took "100 per cent" responsibility for the party's crushing defeat at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election. He told the Congress Working Committee that he would like to exit as its top boss.
"We have to continue our fight. I am and will remain a disciplined soldier of the Congress and continue to fight fearlessly. But I do not want to remain the party president," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying by NDTV sources.
The Congress party has always been criticised by the BJP for dynastic politics. Notably, nation's oldest party has always had the Gandhis at the helm, except for several years after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991.
Rahul took charge of the Congress party in December 2017 from his mother Sonia Gandhi.
Here's how the CWC meeting went:
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who was part of the 52-member committee, asked Rahul Gandhi to reconsider his decision.
Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were also reportedly unable to change his mind.
When Priyanka Gandhi's name came up as an alternative, Rahul reportedly said, "Don't drag my sister into it."
The NDTV report further said Rahul also had a few tough words for senior party leaders, who according to him, pushed for their sons' candidature and subsequent wins.
P Chidambaram turned emotional while asking Rahul Gandhi to continue and said some supporters, which voted for the Congress, may take some "extreme step" in case he resigned.
To this end, Rahul said, "It is not necessary that the president should be from Gandhi family."
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