Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday welcomed the proposed elevation of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress President, describing it as a "step in the right direction to revive the party's fortunes ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls".
Singh, who by his own admission was hurt by the way that Rahul had treated a senior leader like him in the run up to the February 4 assembly elections, told the media here that the party elections announced on Monday and Rahul's impending elevation were "long overdue".
"It is time to pass on the baton of the party affairs into the able hands of Rahul, who is mature and competent enough to lead the Congress into the next parliamentary elections," Singh said.
Singh said he was always been in favour of Rahul's elevation to inject the much-needed dynamism into the party.
"Rahul Gandhi has all the qualifications needed to provide a strong and visionary leadership to the Congress," he added.
Responding to a question, the Chief Minister said he was completely in favour of promoting youths in the party.
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He pointed out that the Congress in Punjab had fielded the maximum number of youths in the assembly polls.
--IANS
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