New Delhi: The 137-year-old Indian National Congress finally made a generational shift on Saturday with party president Sonia Gandhi passing on the mantle to her 47-year-old son, Rahul Gandhi. Mr Rahul Gandhi said that the BJP wants a Congress-free India, but the philosophy of the Congress is that of inclusion, even for the BJP. Handing over charge of the party to her son, outgoing party president Mrs Gandhi said, “In his political life, he faced vicious personal attacks which have made him more fearless. I am proud of his endurance and determination. I am fully confident that he will lead the party with courage and dedication."
“Relentless personal attacks have made Rahul a stronger person,” she said, but then added, “Rahul is my son. So I do not think to praise him is appropriate for me.” Comparing the present situation of the Congress with the time when she took charge, Mrs Gandhi said, “At that time, as far as I remember, we only had three state governments and were far from a government at the Centre. Meeting this challenge was not a marvel achieved by any one individual.”
Mr Gandhi took charge as the 87th president of the Congress amidst celebrations and cheer. His sister Priyanka Gandhi, her husband Robert Vadra, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and other senior party leaders were in attendance. Pitching for a civil political discourse, Mr Gandhi called BJP members his “brothers and sisters”. Picking up from his “power is poison” statement in 2013 when he was appointed Congress vice-president, Mr Gandhi attacked the BJP and said, “These regressive forces don’t win because they are right, they do not win because they stand on the side of what is correct. They win because they are powerful. Their power is manipulative and distortive and it stains everything it touches.”
