Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi was re-elected unanimously as chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party this evening at a meeting of the party's MPs from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the central hall of Parliament.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge proposed Sonia's name as CPP chairperson. The proposal was seconded by party leader Gaurav Gogoi and senior leader Tariq Anwar.
In her acceptance speech, Sonia congratulated the newly elected MPs and noted that they had fought a tough election under the most challenging of circumstances. “You have surmounted many obstacles and campaigned so very effectively. Your success has given us a much greater presence in the Lok Sabha and a more effective voice in its proceedings, both of which will help give greater strength to our participation,” she said.
Sonia said the Congress has once again demonstrated its resilience as it was up against a mighty and malevolent machine that was doing its utmost to destroy the party. “It tried to cripple us financially. It carried out a campaign against us and our leaders that was full of lies and defamation. Many wrote our obituaries! But under the determined leadership of Kharge ji we persevered. He is an inspiration to all of us,” she said.
The former Congress chief, who moved to the Rajya Sabha a few months ago after giving up her Rae Bareli seat, referred to the two yatras undertaken by Rahul Gandhi since 2022. She described the yatras as historic movements which rejuvenated the party at all levels. “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.
Referring to the enhanced strength of the opposition, Sonia said not only is the Congress contingent in the Lok Sabha bigger, it is also bolstered by the strength of the INDIA partners.
She also reiterated the emphasis placed during the meeting of the Congress Working Committee earlier in the day on the need to improve the party's position in states where its performance has been below its expectation.
Sonia said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sought the mandate solely in his name and he has suffered a political and moral defeat. “In reality, he has lost the mandate he sought and thereby lost the right to leadership as well. Yet, far from taking 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.
She further said that this is why the members of the CPP 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. No longer will the writ of the ruling establishment be permitted to disrupt Parliament, whimsically mistreat members or push through legislation without due and proper consideration and debate,” she said.
The mood was upbeat as the party's newly elected MPs of the Lok Sabha arrived in the central hall of Parliament for the CPP meeting. AICC General Secretary Organisation K.C. Venugopal opened the proceedings by congratulating and welcoming the Lok Sabha MPs. He noted that 69 out of the 99 party MPs in the Lok Sabha are first time MPs.