Rahul Gandhi should take charge as Congress president soon: Sachin Pilot

Pilot also wants Sonia Gandhi to remain the parliamentary party head to guide the organisation

Rahul Gandhi should take over as Congress president soon, says Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot who also wants Sonia Gandhi to remain the parliamentary party head to guide the organisation.

Pilot feels that the Congress vice president has been able to energise the party after the rout in the Lok Sabha elections and has been leading it from the front by taking on the ruling BJP inside and outside Parliament.

"Rahul Gandhi should take charge soon (as party president)," he told PTI while insisting that it was his personal view and the Congress Working Committee will take a call on Rahul's elevation. "It will be collective decision of the party," he said.

Pilot, who was handpicked by Rahul to lead the Rajasthan unit after it was decimated in both Assembly as well as Lok Sabha polls, emphasised that Sonia Gandhi will continue to be the "guiding force" for the party.

He said Rahul's strategy is to build the party in the states so that it regains its strength by next election in 2019 for a comeback at the Centre.

He also rejected the charge that the Congress was being "obstructionist" by stalling Parliament, saying it was the main opposition party's duty to highlight BJP leaders' alleged involvement in Lalit Modi issue and Vyapam scam.

"Just because you have got a majority does it mean that you have got a blank cheque to do as you wish?" he said, attacking the Narendra Modi government over its "stubbornness" on the land bill and "failure" to reach out to the opposition.

He said Congress does not need a certificate from BJP on reforms and claimed that the saffron party had blocked Parliament over "smaller" issues when it was in the opposition.