Letter to BS: Rahul Gandhi fought for principles, not for political power

In his letter, former Congress party president Rahul Gandhi has held on to his stated position that he is taking responsibility for his party's electoral debacle and not continuing as the Congress president. His refusal to nominate his successor goes to show his democratic credentials when he could have easily handpicked the next party president. He has left it to the party to decide.
 
It would be of immense symbolic significance if a Dalit becomes the next Congress president. Mallikarjun Kharge and Sushil Kumar Shinde are now talked of as the front-runners. Winning or losing an election is not a measure of whether what you represent and stand for is right or wrong. If the coming back of the Congress party did not happen, it was not Rahul's failure. The Hindutva card was successful in swaying the voters. Remember how Pragya Singh, who called Mahatma Gandhi's assassin a patriot, won with a huge margin in Bhopal?
 
Rahul Gandhi fought for principles and not for political power. At times, he stood alone to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He did it without hatred or anger. In fact, he had to fight the entire state machinery. That the setback has not diminished the resolve to fight the divisive RSS ideology is worthy of a great leader. He is not stepping back from his fight for India's continued existence as a liberal, secular democracy.
 
G David Milton, Maruthancode
 

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