Former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar today batted for the return of Rahul Gandhi as Congress president and rejected pleas within the party for election to the top post.

Speaking to The Tribune, the former Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab said, “At this stage, there is total unanimity in the Congress on Rahul Gandhi as the future party president but this will of course depend upon his own decision. I hope he will respect the overwhelming sentiment in the Congress and return as party chief considering Sonia Gandhi has accepted to be only an interim president.”

Kumar’s assertions came in the wake of calls for election to the post of Congress president by his party colleagues Shashi Tharoor, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Sandeep Dikshit.Kumar also said the question of election or selection to the post of Congress president, in any case, would arise “if and only if” Sonia and Rahul withdrew and there was total clarity on the issue.

“Organisational election at this difficult juncture for the party will only be counterproductive. An electoral exercise leads to factionalism and bitterness and this has been amply demonstrated in the past. I do not agree that elections are the best way forward to revitalise the party. Consensus is the best route,” said Kumar.

He also said uncertainty on the question of future leadership of the Congress needed to be resolved sooner than later because “every day of delay will cost the party”.

“The debate on election or selection of the Congress president becomes relevant only if Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi say that they are unwilling to lead and there is complete clarity on this issue. We have seen that in the process initiated to elicit the views of Congresspersons post the resignation of Mr Rahul Gandhi as Congress president in May 2019, no other name was suggested,” noted Kumar.