Rahul Gandhi agrees to stay on as Cong president, demands full decision making powers in CWC: Sources

Rahul Gandhi made some sort of a U-turn on his much talked about decision to quit as Congress party president after agreeing to staying on as party's supremo, not before putting forth some conditions of his own before senior party leaders.

Indian National Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi gestures during a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi on May 25, 2019. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP)

New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi made some sort of a U-turn on his much talked about decision to quit as Congress party president after agreeing to staying on as party's supremo, not before putting forth some conditions of his own before senior party leaders. As per ABP News sources placed close to this development, Rahul agreed to hold onto the party's top position but laid down certain conditions before party leaders, bringing an end to a long standing deadlock between him and the party. Rahul said that though he was the party president, he did not have executive powers to take certain important decisions pertaining to the functioning of the party . He added that we would only continue as the party's president if he was also given full authority and powers to take important decisions. As per sources, Gandhi and the senior party think tank were at loggerheads after he backed Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia to become chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh post the party's good showing at the state assembly elections. However, top Congress leaders thought otherwise and backed veterans Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath to become chief minister. Rahul implied that the decision of the senior leaders backfired for the party in the Lok Sabha polls. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had a series of visitors on Tuesday with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as well as Rajasthan's ruling duo Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot calling on him amid rumblings of discontent in the state and his insistence on quitting. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Pilot met Gandhi at his residence here followed by Chief Minister Gehlot. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi was present during the discussions, party insiders said. The party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and general secretary K C Venugopal also met the party president at his Tughlaq Lane home. It is not immediately known what transpired at the meetings. All senior leaders since Saturday have been trying to convince Rahul Gandhi to take back his resignation, but he seems to be adamant about going ahead with his decision to step down as party president. Faced with a colossal electoral defeat, the Congress has been riven by internal turmoil. As the party grapples with a severe existential crisis, its governments in both Karnataka and Rajasthan teeter on the brink with reports suggesting the BJP may try to wrest power in both states. The Congress drew a blank in Rajasthan as the NDA won all 25 Lok Sabha seats. In Karnataka, where it formed a government with the JD(S) in May last year, the Congress managed to win only one Lok Sabha seat out of 28. On Monday, Rahul Gandhi cancelled all his appointments for the day and Gehlot could not meet him. After Rahul Gandhi gave Gehlot a tongue lashing for putting his son above the party at a CWC meeting on Saturday, two days after the Lok Sabha votes were counted, several Rajasthan ministers and MLAs are demanding that accountability be fixed and action taken for the Lok Sabha poll debacle. Video: