Dalit activists hold dharna, urging Rahul continue as Congress chief

Members of various Dalit organisations in the national capital on Saturday organised a dharna, urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as the president of the Congress party.

Urging Gandhi not to resign, former Congress MLA Jai Kishan said: "Rahul might be correct in deciding to resign, but for the millions of people who have placed their faith in him and the party, it is not justifiable. He shouldn't let us down by resigning from his post."

"He is not the only one who should be held accountable for the party's performance in the elections. All the party workers should take moral responsibility and work hard to strengthen the party," he said.

 

"As of now, there is no one who can replace Rahul Gandhi. It is not the right time to give someone else the responsibility to lead the party," he said.

It is worth mentioning that Rahul had offered to step down from the party president post at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, taking the moral responsibility for the party's dismal performance in the recently held General Elections.

R Joshi, another activist, said: "We firmly believe in the potential of Rahul Gandhi. We all know the sacrifices made by the Congress leaders since Pandit Nehru's period for the country. That is the reason why we urge Rahul Gandhi to continue."

He said: "Election is more of like a game. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. It is not a big deal. We all believe that Rahul is capable of saving our country from the hands of those people who don't believe in the system of social inclusion."

While reports suggest that Gandhi remains firm on resigning, a number of leaders from the Congress party and its allies have urged him to continue as the party president.

In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, Rahul lost to BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi, which he had been representing since 2004. However, he got elected from Wayanad in Kerala. The BJP won 303 seats in the polls, while the Congress could win just 52 seats.