HP Cong urges Rahul Gandhi to continue as party chief
Shimla, May 29 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) Wednesday passed a resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as the party president.
The HPCC executive committee urged Rahul Gandhi to stay as the Congress chief in the interest of the nation and the party, a Congress leader said.
The executive committee also urged him to start rebuilding the party and restore the confidence of the people in it.
The resolution was sent to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which had earlier rejected Rahul Gandhi's offer to quit as the party president following the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections.
Presenting the resolution before the executive committee, HPCC president Kuldeep Singh Rathore said, "There is no need to get demoralised by the defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections. There was no shortcoming in the electioneering by Rahul Gandhi."
The state Congress chief said it was not the time to level allegations but to work unitedly to strengthen the party.
Former chief minister Virbhadra Singh too supported the resolution.
"This is the time to provide strength to our leader Rahul Gandhi. The party and the nation require Rahul Gandhi's leadership," he said.
The leader of opposition in the state assembly, Mukesh Agnihotri, said the BJP wanted a Congress-free country due to which it was pursuing a policy of getting Rahul Gandhi removed from the post.
"We should not allow the BJP to succeed in its policy," he said
The executive committee congratulated the Congress chief on his victory in Wayanad, where he won by a margin of over four lakh votes.
It also congratulated UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on her victory from Raibareli.
Expressing solidarity with Rahul Gandhi, the executive committee said the BJP diverted people's attention to non-issues in the Lok Sabha elections.