(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra yesterday scotched speculation about Sonia Gandhi retiring from politics, saying her mother will fight from her Lok Sabha constituency of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 general elections.
Asked if she would contest from Rae Bareli in 2019, Vadra told NDTV: 'There is no question...my mother will be contesting from Rae Bareli.
Vadra's remarks assume significance against the backdrop of Gandhi's comments on Friday that it was now time for her to retire. It triggered speculation and the party issued a clarification that she had retired only as Congress president and not from politics.
Asked about Rahul taking over the mantle of party president, Vadra said: 'He has a tough road ahead and I think he is the man for it. He is brave enough to...
Replying to questions related to Sonia, she said: 'It's a proud moment for me to see her because I have been part of her 20-year journey. I saw her begin...the difficulties she faced. I think she is one of the bravest women I know.
Vadra was accompanied by her husband Robert Vadra at the ceremony in All India Congress Committee headquarters where Rahul formally assumed office as Congress president.
Sonia said the party must 'look within to fight the forces that attack the fundamentals of the Constitution and also be ready to make any sacrifice.
'Since 2014, we have been playing the part of the opposition. Never before have we faced the challenge that we face today. The fundamentals of our Constitution are under attack. Our party has lost several state elections.
'But an exemplary energy fires our Congress workers. We are not ones to bend in fear, because our struggle is a fight for the very soul of this nation. We will never retreat from this fight.
She said the leaders and workers of the Congress, as the custodians of the ideals and principles of the nation, had a challenge to meet - to safeguard 'our fundamental principles of India.
'This is no small matter. It is not power, wealth or self-importance that is our aim, it is this country - it is safeguarding our fundamental principles. We are all witness to the daily attacks against freedom of speech and expression, against our culture of diversity, and its replacement with an atmosphere of suspicion and fear.
'The Congress must look within in order to forge ahead. If we do not stand by our principles, we will not be able to wage this fight. It is a battle of righteousness, and we must fit ourselves in, in order to attain success, she said.
'It is a moral battle, we have to be ready to fight these forces and to make any sacrifice.
Meanwhile, Congress leader P Chidambaram said youths will respond to new party president Rahul Gandhi's call for an 'alternative narrative based on equal opportunity and jobs for the youth in the country.
Referring to Gandhi's inaugural speech as the Congress chief, Chidambaram said his party's idea of the nation is different from that of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
'Rahul Gandhi's inaugural speech laid down the contours of an alternative narrative that the Congress will put forward to the people, Chidambaram tweeted.
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