Congress president will decide on my role, says Rahul Gandhi after slip-up

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that the president was the supreme authority in the party and would decide on the way forward for it. However, he made a faux pas and mentioned “Kharge” even as counting of votes in the Congress presidential polls was on.

Rahul was answering questions during his brief interaction with the media during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Andhra Pradesh’s Adoni.

When asked if he would be reporting to the new party president, Rahul replied, “Obviously. The president is the supreme authority in the Congress, and everyone reports to him. …The Congress president will decide what my role is and how I will be deployed,” he said.

A slip-up

But at one point, he slipped up, saying, “It is for (Mallikarjun) Kharge to decide.” However, he was quick to correct himself, “Whoever gets elected, that gentleman will decide.”

Also read: Cong president poll: Kharge (7,897 votes) beats Tharoor (1,072)

The comment came before the results of the Congress presidential polls had been declared, when counting was still on. About half an hour later, Kharge was declared the winner of the election.

Rahul observed that both Kharge and Shashi Tharoor (who also contested the Congress presidential polls) were people with experience and understanding. “They do not need my advice,” he added.

“Mistry is fair”

Questioned about Tharoor’s allegation of irregularities in the Congress president election in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said the party had an institutional framework to deal with it.

Also read: Tharoor alleges different treatment for him, Kharge

“We are the only party that has an election commission within it. (Madhusudan) Mistry is a fair person. Our EC will take a decision on the irregularities, he said.

Mistry is the chairman of the Congress Central Election Authority.

(With agency inputs)