At son Rahul’s elevation ceremony, Sonia Gandhi’s last speech as Congress President

With Rahul Gandhi taking charge as 16^th President of Indian National Congress, the curtain comes down on the Sonia Gandhi era in the Grand-Old Party.

After leading the party for almost 20 years, Sonia Gandhi on Saturday addressed party workers for the last time as Congress President.

Speaking at Rahul Gandhi’s elevation ceremony in Delhi, Sonia Gandhi talked about her relationship with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her struggle after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and shared her experiences in India’s politics.

Also read | Rahul Gandhi takes charge as Congress President, says will never back down

Here are the top quotes of Sonia Gandhi’s last speech as Congress President:

# 20 years ago, when I was elected as Congress President, I was nervous about this new role. I was anxious on how to uphold the heritage of the party. I became part of this family during revolutionary times.

# I learnt the culture and heritage of this nation from Indira Gandhi. She taught me the principles on which India’s foundation as laid.

# Just 7 years after her assassination, my husband was assassinated too. My pillar of support was stolen from me and it took me a long while to come to the terms with it.

# Since 2014 we have been playing the role of opposition, the challenge that we face today, is the biggest one, our constitutional values are being attacked.

# During my journey as Congress President, lakhs of party workers were my co-travellers. Whatever I have learnt from them is incredible.

# We represented and worked for the development of every class of the society. We made laws that were depended on the rights of people.

# We all know how the values of our democratic and secular nation are under attack. This is an ethical fight. We should be ready to sacrifice anything for this.

# Rahul is my son, so I do not think for me to praise him is right but I would say that since childhood he had to bear the brunt of violence, after joining politics he had to face blatant personal attacks that have made him a stronger person.

# Today, while leaving this responsibility, I would like to thank all the Congressmen and people of the country from the bottom of my heart for all the all and trust they showered upon me.