Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday stressed on “unity at all levels” and resilience as she chaired a meeting of the parliamentary party and discussed the current political situation and the party’s strategy in both houses of Parliament.
Congress Parliamentarians in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi, attended the meeting in the central hall of Parliament.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were also present. This is the first meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) after the party’s poll debacle in the recent assembly elections in five states.
Sonia Gandhi also said she had received many suggestions on how to strengthen the Congress and she was working on “many of them”.
“I am very well aware how disappointed you are at the recent election results. They have been both shocking and painful,” she said. “Our dedication and determination, our spirit of resilience is under severe test. Unity at all levels of our vast organisation is of paramount importance and speaking for myself, I am determined to do whatever is needed to ensure it.”
Referring to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting soon after the results of five state elections last month in which the Congress lost Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and put up a dismal show in three states, she said: “The CWC has met once to review our performance. I have met with other colleagues too. I have received many suggestions on how to strengthen our organization. Many are pertinent and I am working on them.”
Calling the road ahead “more challenging than ever before”, the Congress president said: “Our revival is not just a matter of importance to us alone – it is, in fact, essential for our democracy itself and indeed for our society as well.”
The Congress has been seeking to corner the government on the issue of inflation and rise in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG gas.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.