india

Updated: Jun 01, 2019 23:58 IST

A combative Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday vowed to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) every inch of the way and attempted to talk up the morale of his party’s newly elected parliamentarians, saying they had emerged triumphant from a fight that had every institution of the country ranged against them.

His mother and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chief Sonia Gandhi, who was re-elected chief of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), told the MPs that “in an unprecedented crisis lies an unprecedented opportunity,” adding to the pep talk that prepared the way for the Congress to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At the first meeting of the CPP after the April-May national elections, both leaders signalled that there would be no let-up in the fight against the BJP.

“We are 52 MPs. I guarantee you that these 52 MPs will fight against BJP every single inch,” Rahul Gandhi said in the first remarks he made at a party forum in the week since offering to quit.

Rahul Gandhi told the MPs that they are “probably the first people in this country’s independent history, who have fought an election not against a political party but against every single institution in this country”.

“There is not one institution that did not fight you and tried to stop you from coming into the Lok Sabha and you fought every single one of those institutions and you forced your way into the Lok Sabha. And that is something you should be extremely proud of,” Gandhi told the CPP amid applause.

“You have given a tremendous service in fighting for the Constitution and now you are fighting every single institution. There is no institution that is going to support you in this country, not one is going to support you. It is like during the British period, when not a single institution supported the Congress Party, yet we fought and won and we are going to do it again,” he said towards the end of his speech.

They were Rahul Gandhi’s first remarks at a Congress forum since the Congress Working Committee meeting on May 25, when he took responsibility for the party’s crushing defeat in the April-May general elections and said he wanted to step down as party president.Both the CWC and CPP meetings were closed-door events, but on Saturday, the party released a transcript of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks.

The Congress won 52 seats in the 2019 elections, improving its tally marginally by eight seats from 2014. The BJP won 303 seats, up from 282 in the previous election.

Sonia Gandhi was re-elected CPP president after her name was proposed by former PM Manmohan Singh and seconded by K Muraleedharan and Jyotsna Mahant.

Both Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi referred to 2014 to indicate that even with its current strength, the party is ready to fight. The Congress had taken on the BJP-led government even with those numbers, Rahul Gandhi said.

“So, I am very confident that this time we have 52 — we are 52 members — and I guarantee you, it does not matter what institutions are standing against these 52 members; it does not matter who is standing against these 52 members; these 52 members are going to fight the BJP every single inch...and that applies to the members from Rajya Sabha as well,” Rahul Gandhi told the audience.

Sonia Gandhi urged the party MPs to not let their guard down. “Even though we were only 44 members in the previous Lok Sabha, and about 55 in the Rajya Sabha, under Rahulji’s leadership, the Congress party has fought bravely to expose the government’s misdeeds.”

“We were in the forefront of ensuring that some of the UPA’s historic Acts were not diluted. At the same time, we cooperated with the government on a series of reforms, with constructive suggestions. This time, too, we will support progressive and inclusive policies but oppose the government strongly whenever they undertake divisive and regressive actions,” she said.

Sonia Gandhi asked the MPs to keep their “finger on the pulse of the people” and ensure that the issues they raise in Parliament resonate “in the minds of our party workers and with the public.”

Rahul Gandhi told the delegates: “You are fighting for the Constitution of this country, that is who you are, you are fighting for the right of every single individual in this country regardless of the skin colour, regardless of his religion, regardless of his gender, regardless of his state.”

Sonia Gandhi described the 2019 elections as “one of the hardest elections of our career” as the party was “up against an election machinery with all odds stacked against us – unlimited resources, ability to manipulate public opinion and the spread of mischievous propaganda”.

She praised Rahul Gandhi for his “valiant and relentless campaign” and said that as Congress president, he “has given his all and toiled night and day for the Congress party”.

“He demonstrated his fearless leadership by taking the Modi government head on. He highlighted the injustices carried out against farmers, workers, traders and small businesses, against the youth, women and the marginalised sections of our society. He has rejuvenated the Congress organisation in many states, and most recently led us to victory in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” she added, “Even as I speak, emotional messages are coming from all corners, vindicating his leadership.”

Rahul Gandhi said he would have been happy to see “some of the old faces” win election, as “there were 5-10 people in the last Lok Sabha who gave us tremendous support”.

He added that every Congress MP will “enjoy” Parliament. “You are going to shout a little more than usual. You are going to have to be a little more aggressive. Last time, if the Speaker used to give us five minutes, this time it may be two minutes, but in those two minutes, we will put forth what the Congress party believes, we will put forth our defence of the Constitution.”

The issue of Rahul Gandhi’s resignation offer was not raised at the CPP meeting because it had been called to elect Sonia Gandhi as the chairperson. “Had we raised the topic of Rahulji’s resignation in the CPP meeting it would have been interpreted as the members not wanting Sonia Gandhi as CPP chairperson,” said an MP, who declined to be named.

“It was a meeting specifically called to elect a new CPP chairperson and we didn’t want to deviate from that agenda,” he added.

All the MPs, especially those from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, visited Sonia Gandhi’s 10, Janpath residence to request that Rahul Gandhi continue in the post. “I heard you” was his consistent reply to such appeals, according to an MP from Punjab.

Another MP, from Kerala, said pressure was building on Rahul Gandhi to reconsider his offer. “If he does so, we will see a different Rahul Gandhi who will try to rebuild and restructure the party from the block level,” the MP said, also on condition of anonymity. “But we still don’t know what he is going to do.”

Rahul Gandhi will visit his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency on June 7-8.

The Congress will not stake a claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, given that it does not have the required numbers, party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, adding that it would leave the decision to the new Speaker.