It was quite clear: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh defends Rahul Gandhi's 'Ask Khargeji' comment
Rahul Gandhi, who led the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' into Andhra Pradesh, made the remarks during a press conference around 1:30 pm, just as the counting began. The results were not made public until 2:00 pm.
FollowCongress leader Jairam Ramesh defended Rahul Gandhi for referring to veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge as the new Congress president before the election results were announced on Wednesday. Ramesh claimed that it was clearly evident the direction of the vote when Gandhi commented on the news conference and also criticised 'erroneous media reports' about Gandhi's comment.
"There have been false media reports that Rahul Gandhi named Kharge-Ji as Congress President during his press conference, which began around 1:00 pm at Adoni. The truth is that the voting direction was obvious even before the press conference began," Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
"What my function will be determined by the new president. Ask Kharge Ji and Sonia Ji," Rahul Gandhi responded to a question about his role in the party.
During a press conference around 1:30 pm, Rahul Gandhi made the comments during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' into Andhra Pradesh. The results were not announced until after 2:00 pm.
Regarding what the new president will do while serving as the face of the party, Rahul Gandhi stated, "I can't comment on the role of the Congress president; that's for Kharge to comment on." "I am self-evident in my function. Ask Kharge Ji and Sonia Ji about how the president will decide my job and how I will be used."
"The Congress president is the final authority in the Congress party. We will also have a new Congressman as president. And that gentleman will decide how the party will proceed," he continued.
Mallikarjun Kharge, an ardent Gandhi family supporter, was widely regarded as the frontrunner even before votes were cast on October 17 for the Congress to elect its first non-Gandhi leader in over two decades. Senior party leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the Gandhis' first choice, were said to back Kharge.
In the run-up to the elections, Kharge's opponent Shashi Tharoor complained about 'bias' and an 'uneven playing field.' The Congress MP from Kerala claimed 'severe irregularities' in counting votes in Uttar Pradesh and demanded that the state's votes be cancelled. "We did not run for office to accept business as usual," Tharoor's campaign stated.
Mallikarjun Kharge was declared the election winner. The total number of votes cast was 9,385, with Kharge receiving 7,897 votes and Tharoor receiving 1,072 votes, according to Madhusudan Mistry, chairman of the party's Central Election Committee (CEC). For the first time in 24 years, Congress has a chief who is not a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
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