Hope Rahul will agree to our request to continue as Cong president: Ashok Gehlot

Hope Rahul will agree to our request to continue as Cong president: Ashok Gehlot

NEW DELHI: Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states on Monday urged Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress president and expressed hope he will positively consider their request and take the right decision, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said after the meeting.

The chief ministers held detailed discussion about the party's poll debacle and apprised him of their own feelings as well as those of the party workers from across the country to continue providing leadership to the party.

"It was a good meeting that lasted around two hours. We expressed our feelings and it was a heart to heart talk in detail. We conveyed and apprised him about the feelings of Congress workers across the country and urged him to continue to lead the party.

"We hope that he will positively agree to our request to continue as Congress president and will take the right decision in time," Gehlot told reporters.

Sources said while the Chief ministers of five party-ruled states made the last effort to request Rahul Gandhi to continue as Congress chief, Gandhi reportedly told them that he has already conveyed his decision to the CWC and would not relent.

The sources also said that the chief ministers took moral responsibility for the party's defeat in Lok Sabha elections and some also offered their resignations, but a confirmation to this effect was not available.

"In elections, victories and defeats happen. But the high command decides on future course of action. This issue has already been resolved as all chief ministers have offered their resignations at the meeting of Congress Working Committee on May 25," Gehlot said when asked about their offer to resign at the meeting.

"The entire CWC had resigned and authorised Rahul Gandhi to bring about changes in the party. So this issue of resignation has already been resolved on May 25. It is no issue now," he said.

Gehlot said the chief ministers met Gandhi at his residence and analysed the Lok Sabha poll debacle in detail, holding the BJP responsible for hiding behind nationalism and the valour of armed forces.

He also said the chief ministers felt that instead of doing issue-based politics concerning the common man, the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi "misled" the people by hiding behind nationalism and the armed forces, and sought to turn the election on religious lines. He said the PM also did not talk about development, economy and employment issues.

The Chief minister of Rajasthan, who was flanked by Kamal Nath, Bhupesh Baghel and V Narayanasamy, chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry, respectively, said Gandhi provided the right leadership to the Congress and fought the elections by taking on the BJP head-on and that he is the only one who can continue to provide leadership required for the party in the current circumstances.

The meeting was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

"We want that in today's circumstances, Rahul Gandhi's message to the country of doing issue-based politics is seen by everyone, and only he can lead the party," he said.

"We firmly believe that only he can lead the party in the current scenario, his commitment towards well-being of our country and countrymen is un-compromised and unmatched," Gehlot had said before the meeting.

He said the 2019 election was not a defeat of the programmes, policies and ideology of the Congress.

Gehlot said it was unfortunate that the BJP managed to hide its "huge failures" behind "fanatic nationalism" and with the help of enormous resources of the government machinery.

Only the Congress president, he said, did his best to make it an issue-based election and took the BJP head on.

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