Sonia Gandhi says 'time to retire'; 'not from politics,' clarifies Congress

A day before Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as party President, Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday said that it is time for her to retire now.

However, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala made it clear that she has retired only as party President and not from politics.

Sonia Gandhi, while talking to NDTV said that her son Rahul has been helping decide several important party issues for years.

Rahul Gandhi, who led the Congress in recent Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections is set to take charge of the Grand-Old party on December 16.

Sonia Gandhi has led the Congress party for nearly 20 years. She took over the charge in 1998 after the assassination of former Prime Minister and her husband Rajeev Gandhi.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s elevation, the BJP has accused the party of doing a dynastic politics. Prime Minister termed Rahul’s elevation as Congress’s “Aurangzeb Raj.”

Rahul Gandhi would be the 60^th Congress president since its establishment 1885, sixth member of Nehru-Gandhi family to hold the post.