Top Congress leaders advocate Priyanka Gandhi as chief

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Pic/AFP) and Amarinder Singh

Chandigarh: Days after he batted for young leader as the Congress president, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be a perfect choice to take over the party reins. Reposing his full confidence in the party general secretary, Amarinder said Priyanka would get all-round support if chosen to take over as Congress president.

"Priyanka will be a perfect choice to take over the party reins but it will all depend on the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which alone is authorised to take a decision in the matter,¿ said Amarinder here. However, he regretted the decision of Rahul Gandhi to step down from the top party post. "India is a young nation, and will respond to a young leader,¿ he reiterated. His comments were sought on Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's statement that Priyanka would be a good choice for being chosen as party president. The Chief Minister had earlier also advocated for a young leader to take charge of the party at this critical juncture in the nation's journey.

With the majority of India's population now comprising youth, only a youth leader could connect with the people and resonate their aspirations, Amarinder had said earlier this month. Amarinder further said that Priyanka was ideally suited to head the party, which needed a dynamic young leader to rebuild it after the recent Lok Sabha election loss. "She has the intelligence and instinct to understand and relate to the needs of the nation, and also has the courage to take on any challenge and take the fight to victory,¿ he added. Given Rahul's refusal to take back his resignation, Priyanka was a good bet to replace him as the new leader, said the Chief Minister. He expressed confidence she will easily get the support of the party's rank and file, across regions.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister described the events relating to the Unnao rape victim as ¿shocking¿. ¿Are we living in jungle raj?¿ he asked, adding that "if we cannot protect our daughters and give them justice then we are doomed as a nation." The law must be upheld at all costs, he asserted, urging the Supreme Court to take cognizance of the case and order a thorough probe to ensure that the victim is protected and gets justice at all costs. Notably, a car in which the survivor of Unnao rape case, her family and lawyer were travelling was hit by an over-speeding truck in Rae Bareli on Sunday, killing two members while leaving her and the advocate critically injured, police said.

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