Sonia Gandhi re-elected chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party

New Delhi, June 8

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi was unanimously re-elected as the chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) on Saturday, its leaders said.

At a meeting of party MPs, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge proposed Sonia Gandhi’s name as the chairperson of the parliamentary party. The proposal was seconded by Gaurav Gogoi, K Sudhakaran and Tariq Anwar.

Gandhi, 77, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February.

She described the Lok Sabha election results as a “political and moral defeat” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, she said, has lost the moral right to leadership.

Addressing the newly elected MPs in the Central Hall of Parliament, she said far from taking responsibility for the failure, the prime minister intends to get himself sworn in again on Sunday.

In her speech later, Sonia Gandhi said the prime minister had sought the mandate solely in his name to the exclusion of both his party and its allies, but has suffered a political and moral defeat.

“In reality, he has lost the mandate he sought and thereby has lost the right to leadership as well. Yet, far from taking the responsibility for failure he intends to get himself sworn in again tomorrow. We do not expect him to change the substance and style of his governance, nor take cognisance of the will of the people,” she said.

“That is why, as members of CPP, we have a special obligation to be watchful, vigilant and proactive in holding him and his new NDA government accountable. No longer can and should Parliament be bulldozed like it has been for a decade now,” she said.

Noting that she is deeply conscious of the responsibility all have placed on her once again, Sonia Gandhi said, “This is a very emotional moment for me.”

She said she has received immense love and affection from the party leaders and assured them saying “I will do my best and more to fulfil the trust and confidence you have continued to place in me”.

“Rahul deserves special thanks for his tenacity and determination to fight on in the face of unprecedented personal and political attacks. He also shaped our narrative on guarantees and protection of the Constitution very sharply,” she said.

Sonia Gandhi also lauded Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s role.