More than a month after declaring his intention, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday formally resigned as Congress president, saying he is responsible for the loss in the Lok Sabha election and accountability is critical for the party’s future growth.
In a four-page open letter, Gandhi urged the CongressWorking
Committee (CWC) to entrust a group of people with the taskof finding a new president as it would not be proper for him to do so.
The 49-year-old — who has been adamant on his decision toquit as party president since 25 May, two days after the results in which hisparty won 52 seats — also stressed on the need for the Congress to”radically transform itself”.
Heralding what could be a new era in his party, Gandhi saidit had been a honour to serve the Congress, whose values and ideals have servedas the lifeblood of “this beautiful nation”.
In a letter that was emotive in places and combative inothers, he said he owed the country and his organisation a debt of tremendousgratitude and love.
“As President of the Congress Party, I am responsiblefor the loss of the 2019 election. Accountability is critical for the futuregrowth of our party. It is for this reason that I have resigned as CongressPresident,” he said.
“Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions andnumerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019. Itwould be unjust to hold others accountable but ignore my own responsibility asPresident of the party,” he said in the letter shared on his Twitteraccount.
Gandhi, the most visible face of his party’s electioncampaign, noted that he personally fought Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSSand the institutions they have captured with all his being.
“I fought because I love India… At times I stoodcompletely alone and am extremely proud of it,” he said.
The Indian nation must unite to reclaim and resuscitate itsinstitutions, Gandhi said. And the instrument of this resuscitation, he added,will be the Congress.
The MP from Wayanad, who lost his Amethi seat, also claimedhe did not fight a political party in the 2019 election but the entiremachinery of the Indian state.
Taking moral responsibility for the party’s poor performancein the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi resigned as Congress president on 25 May butthe CWC rejected his resignation and authorised him to initiate changes in theparty to revamp and restructure it at all levels.
“Immediately after resigning, I suggested to mycolleagues in the Congress Working Committee that the way forward would be toentrust a group of people with the task of beginning the search for a newPresident. I have empowered them to do so and committed my full support to thisprocess and a smooth transition,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi told reporters the CWC shouldimmediately meet to decide on his successor.
Thanking the thousands of people who have written to him,Gandhi said in his letter that he would continue to fight for the ideals of theCongress with all his strength and will be available to the party whenever hisservices are required.
“It is a habit in India that the powerful cling topower, no one sacrifices power. But we will not defeat our opponents withoutsacrificing the desire for power and fighting a deeper ideological battle. Iwas born a Congressman, this party has always been with me and is my lifebloodand forever that way it shall remain,” Gandhi said.
He noted that a free and fair election requires theneutrality of a country’s institutions and an election cannot be fair withoutarbiters a free press, an independent judiciary, and a transparent electioncommission that is objective and neutral.
“Nor can an election be free if one party has acomplete monopoly on financial resources,” he noted.
Congress leaders at various levels have been appealing toGandhi to take back his resignation but he has been unrelenting. Some party workers are sitting on a ‘dharna’outside the Congress headquarters, asking him to continue as president. There havealso been several resignations of middle-rung leaders. And two days ago, thechief ministers of Congress-ruled states met Gandhi in an effort to make himchange his mind.