Priyanka Gandhi's Remark Rooting for Non-Gandhi Party Chief is a Year-old One, Clarifies Congress

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posted on 4 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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The Congress's comments came in the wake of a claim made in a book that Priyanka Gandhi was ready to work under a non-Gandhi president after Rahul Gandhi's resignation following the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections last year.

The Congress on Wednesday officially commented on Priyanka Gandhi's remark that she had no objection to a non-Gandhi becoming the party president. The party said it was a year-old remark.

"We at INC India appreciate the sudden media interest (egged on by BJP) in a year-old remark (dated July 1, 2019) of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra," said chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala in a statement.

He said the Nehru-Gandhi family has held together and served the Congress unmindful of the trappings of power. "In 2004, Sonia Gandhi set an example by sacrificing power to serve the party, and in 2019, Rahul Gandhi showed the courage of conviction and stepped down as the Congress president," said Surjewala.

The Congress insisted the context today is to take on the vicious attack on India's polity by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah dispensation and fight it fearlessly on the front foot.

"Millions of Congress workers and leaders have seen that Rahul Gandhi has led the fight tirelessly, undaunted by the setbacks and vile attacks by the Modi government on a daily basis. It is this fearlessness and uncompromising courage that the Congress requires, which the workers respect and the nation needs," said the statement.

The Congress's comments came in the wake of a claim made in a book -- 'India Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders' -- written by Pradeep Chibber and Harsh Shah. There, it has been claimed that Priyanka Gandhi was ready to work under a non-Gandhi president after Rahul Gandhi's resignation following the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections last year.

Rahul Gandhi had also said the party should elect a president from outside the family, but last August Sonia Gandhi was appointed the interim president of the Congress.

In the book, Priyanka Gandhi was quoted as saying: "If there were to be another party president, he would be my boss. If he tells me tomorrow that he doesn't want me in Uttar Pradesh but wants me to be in Andaman and Nicobar (Islands), then I would jolly well go to Andaman and Nicobar."