Rahul Gandhi officially resigns as Congress chief

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 3

Advertisement

Forty-two days after he resigned as party president before the Congress Working Committee, Rahul Gandhi penned a formal letter of resignation on Wednesday, paving the way for the installation of the next Congress chief.

In a statement explaining his current state of mind that has baffled all in the Congress, Gandhi said he was no longer Congress president, and signalled a massive accountability drive in the party.

Read also:

Gandhi said in his letter that he resigned to make himself accountable for the party’s 2019 Lo k Sabha defeat.

“It is a habit in India that the powerful cling to power, no one sacrifices power. But we will not defeat our opponents without sacrificing the desire for power and fighting a deeper ideological battle, Gandhi wrote in a letter he posted on Twitter.

He said as Congress president, he was responsible for the loss of the 2019 election and that numerous others will also be made accountable now.

It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation.

I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love.

Jai Hind 🇮🇳

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi)

“Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress President.

Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions and numerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019. It would be unjust to hold others accountable but ignore my own responsibility as president of the party,” Gandhi warned.

He clarified that he would not nominate the next chief.

“Many of my colleagues suggested that I nominate the next Congress President. While it is important for someone new to lead our party it would not be correct for me to select that person. Ours is a party with profound history and heritage, one of struggle and dignity that I deeply respect. It is woven into the fabric of India and I trust the party will make the best decision regarding who can lead us with courage, love and fidelity,” Gandhi said.

The Wayanad Member of Parliament also said that immediately after resigning, he had suggested to the CWC that the way forward would be to entrust a group of people with the task of searching for a new president.

I empowered them to do so and committed my full support to this process and a smooth transition, Gandhi said.

Reiterating that his battle had never been a simple battle for political power, Gandhi said he had no hatred or anger towards the Bharatiya Janata Party but every living cell in my body instinctively resisted their idea of India. 

“In no way shape or form am I stepping back from this fight. I am a loyal soldier of the party and a devoted son of India and will continue to protect her till the last breath of my life,” he
said adding that the Congress fought a strong and dignified election.

“Our campaign was one of tolerance. I personally fought the PM, the RSS and the institutions that have captured India.

I fought for the ideals of India. At times I stood completely alone and I am proud of that,” Gandhi’s letter said.

In a major indication of what Congress thinks cost them the 2019 polls, Gandhi cast aspersions on the fairness of the poll itself and said institutional neutrality required to hold free elections no longer existed.

“A free and fair election requires neutrality of the country's election process. An election cannot be fair without arbiters—a free press, an independent judiciary, and a transparent election commission. Nor can an election be free if one party has complete monopoly over financial resources. We did not fight a political party in 2019. We fought an entire machinery of the Indian state, every institution of which was marshalled against the opposition. It is now clear that our much cherished institutional neutrality no longer exists in India. The stated objective of the RSS, the capture of Indian institutions, is now complete,” the letter said.

In statements that are bound to trigger a massive backlash from the ruling BJP, Gandhi also said Indian democracy had been fundamentally weakened and there was a “real danger that from now on elections will go on from being a determinant of India's future to being a mere ritual”.

“This capture of political power will result in unimaginable violence and pain for India. Farmers, unemployed youngsters, women, tribals, Dalits and minorities are going to suffer the most. The impact on our economy and nation's reputation will be devastating,” he said.

Reasserting his position on the Rafale deal—a topic that became a primary issue his campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi—Gandhi said: “The Prime Minister's win does not negate
the breadth of corruption allegations against him and no amount of money or propaganda can ever hide the light of the truth”.

He said the Indian nation must unite to reclaim and resuscitate its institutions and the instrument of this resurrection will be the Congress Party, which he said must radically transform itself to achieve the said objectives.

“I will continue to fight for the ideals of the Congress with all my strength. I am available to the party whenever they require my services, input or advice,” he added, signing off with gratitude to those who supported him.

Gandhi had taken over as Congress president from his mother Sonia Gandhi on December 17, 2017.

Soon after he made his letter public, Gandhi change his Twitter handle from Congress president to Member of Indian National Congress. His profile description on Twitter now reads: "This is the official account of Rahul Gandhi. Member of the Indian National Congress. Member of Parliament".