Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday insisted that the Congress will continue to fight the BJP every day despite the hammering in the Lok Sabha elections.

“Last time we were 44 in the Lok Sabha and we took on the BJP and now we have 52 and we will fight the BJP every day,” Gandhi said at the meeting of the Congress parliamentary party.

“We need to introspect in the party. We will try and rejuvenate ourselves and we can do it,” he told Congress MPs at the meeting.

He also congratulated his mother Sonia Gandhi who was elected the Congress parliamentary party leader.

Congratulations to Smt Sonia Gandhi on being elected Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. Under her leadership, the Congress will prove to be a strong & effective opposition party, that will fight to defend the Constitution of India. pic.twitter.com/iUcdB51tHE

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 1, 2019

The Congress which won just 52 of 542 parliamentary seats this time fell short by three members to qualify it for the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi had offered to resign as Congress chief on May 25 taking responsibility for the party’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, but the Congress Working Committee rejected the offer although he has insisted that he is firm on quitting.

At Saturday’s meeting of the parliamentary party, a Congress leader said there was no official talk on Rahul Gandhi’s continuation as party president.

Sources said that many Congress leaders told Rahul at the sidelines of the meeting that he should not step down.

First Published: Jun 01, 2019 12:13 IST