Amid 'vote chori' campaign, Rahul Gandhi brings Congress together for Diwali party

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hosted a Diwali gathering for senior party leaders in New Delhi on Friday, as the party seeks to sustain its campaign over alleged electoral irregularities.More than 100 Congress general secretaries, state in-charges, Congress Working Committee members and other senior leaders attended the tea party at Gandhi's residence. Sources said no political issues or future plans were discussed at the gathering.Gandhi went from table to table, interacted with the leaders and exchanged Diwali greetings with them. A leader told PTI that the event provided an opportunity for party members to bond and express solidarity.Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Sachin Pilot and Kumari Selja, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar attended the gathering. Former chief ministers Bhupender Singh Hooda, Bhupesh Baghel, Ashok Gehlot, Harish Rawat and Digvijaya Singh, along with state in-charges and several leaders from election-bound states, were also present.Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Pilot said, "Unfortunately, all actions by Gyanesh Kumar ji have been illegal and unconstitutional. I think it is time for this country to realise that people who are supposed to uphold the democratic functioning of our country have let us down. And there is empirical evidence that Rahul ji has presented many times." "Despite that, he is hiding behind the immunity that the Government of India has given him. There is only one person having lifelong immunity among 140 crore people. Why so?" Pilot asked. He, however, said politics was not on the agenda at the tea party.Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the Congress family had gathered, as families do during festivals.He also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying, "I spent 22 days in that Parliament, hoping to catch a glimpse of the home minister. But he was nowhere to be seen. He hardly ever shows up. In the previous session, he stood in Parliament and declared that there could be no discussion on the SIR. He claims in Parliament that a discussion cannot take place, yet outside, he demands that it be discussed in Parliament.""Who could possibly take him seriously? Go ahead, have the debate. The nation wants to hear it," Khera added.The gathering came as the Congress sought to expand and sustain its campaign against alleged "vote chori". On Sunday, the INDIA bloc held a "Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao" rally at Ramlila Maidan against alleged electoral irregularities and voter list revision.A day earlier, the alliance held what it called a "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in voter lists.- Ends