New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi asked her party men not to bicker in public but introspect and speak within the party forum. She acknowledged that there was “widespread anger against us which we failed to adequately gauge. We have to individually and collectively draw the appropriate lessons from this unprecedented setback”.Â
She exhorted all “progressive and secular forces” to present a united opposition and assured other like-minded parties that Congress will extend its cooperation in this regard.Â
Elected the CPP chief for the fifth time in a row since 1998, Sonia Gandhi asked Congressmen to avoid “public acrimony”. Their inputs, experience and assessment will be critical to putting the party back on the rail.Â
She said while all party MPs are “pained” about the defeat, Congress came second with 10.69 crore votes compared to BJP’s 17.16 crore votes. “What we have to do now is to work hard to recapture the larger support base that Congress has traditionally enjoyed.”Â