Rahul Gandhi tells Congress MPs, 'I am not the party president, not going back on my decision'

"I am not the Congress president and I am not going back on my decision," Rahul Gandhi told his party's Lok Sabha members after they jointly made a plea to him on Wednesday to reconsider his decision of quitting the post.

The Congress had convened a meeting of its Lok Sabha members to evolve the party's strategy in the lower house of Parliament on Wednesday.

Soon after the meeting, chaired by Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi, started, some party MPs from Tamil Nadu urged him to reconsider his decision and wanted a resolution to be passed, sources said. All the party MPs then joined them and made a plea to Rahul, but he stuck to his decision, they said.

According to the sources, Rahul said he has asked the Congress Working Committee to make arrangements to instal a party chief in his place and lamented that nothing has been in this regard so far.

The CWC, the highest decision-making body of the party, rejected his resignation and asked him to revamp and restructure the party at all levels instead. He had conveyed his decision at the meeting of the CWC on May 25.

Rahul has not been meeting party leaders since then and has not been actively involved in the party's affairs.

He was to hold a meeting of Congress leaders from Maharashtra on Wednesday, for the party's poll preparedness for upcoming assembly elections there, but it has been postponed now to June 29.

Rahul is likely to meet leaders from Haryana on Thursday.