Tamil Nadu Congressmen rally for Rahul Gandhi

Chennai: Led by AICC secretaries Sanjay Dutt and Sirivella Prasad, who flew into Chennai for the purpose, Congressmen of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday took out a short rally here urging Rahul Gandhi to continue as party president, asserting he was in no way responsible for the party's poor show in the Lok Sabha election. “Rahul Gandhi has the enthusiasm, mental strength and energy to pull the Congress out of the present situation”, said a Tamil Nadu Congress Committee resolution passed at the rally.

It said on the other hand, each Congress worker should introspect if he (she) worked best and matched the energy and hard work demonstrated by Rahul in the poll campaign. Also, he infused a new energy in the party when he took over as party chief in 2017, and if every Congress worker had  matched his enthusiasm and dedication, such a poll drubbing would not have happened, the resolution said.

Strongly rooting for the leadership of Nehru-Gandhi family, the TNCC said, “No force on earth can separate the Nehru family's leadership and the Congress party”. It also defended the party members' insistence on the leadership position going to a member of the Nehru family, arguing it was done “through democratic means and based on the  choice of the people” as leaders from the 'family'-Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi--had laid down their lives whenever the nation's unity and integrity came under threat”.

The poll drubbing was merely a 'temporary slip' and not a 'fall', said the Congress resolution, asserting that Rahul alone can guide the party to shake off its present dejection and achieve “greater heights of glory through his able leadership”.

“We humbly request Rahul Gandhi to consider this fervent appeal, made on behalf of the multitude of Congress workers and supporters, and refrain from stepping down from the party president's post,” the resolution said, asserting that no party worker would accept Rahul taking responsibility  for the electoral set back.

Chanting slogans like “Vendum vendum Rahulin thalamai  vendum,” (We need the leadership of Rahul) and waving party flags, Congress workers commenced their rally from the DMS  Metro station and ended it at nearby Kamarajar Arangam.