Rahul Gandhi is now my boss too: Sonia Gandhi tells Congress MPs

Rahul Gandhi became party President only in December, 2017 after his mother Sonia made room for his entry ending a 19-year stint.

"He is now my boss too-let there be no doubt about that - and I know that all of you will work with him with the same dedication, loyalty and enthusiasm as you did with me," media reports quoted her as saying at  the meeting of Congress MPs at parliament.

However, Sonia, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, said she would take lead in a greater sphere- in rallying other opposition parties against the BJP.

"As for myself, as Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, I will work with the Congress President and other colleagues in discussions with like-minded, political parties to ensure that in the next election, the BJP is defeated and India is restored to a democratic, inclusive, secular, tolerant and economically progressive path," she said.

Sonia  urged the party to be in preparedness  for the national elections, which, she said "might well be called earlier as they were in 2004".

She said it is high time for the Congress to regain its lost ground as "increasingly, the people belonging to all sections of our society are getting disillusioned with the present regime."

"It is for us to channel this discontent into support," she said.

"We performed very creditably under tough circumstances in Gujarat and the recent by-election results in Rajasthan were huge. This shows that the winds of change are coming," she said.

She asserted that  the Karnataka election results would also underline the resurgence of the Congress.

Sonia Gandhi also said in the  the BJP-led government run by  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has subjected democratic institutions like the judiciary, media and civil society  to "systematic assault."

"Investigative agencies have been let loose against political opponents. An all-pervasive atmosphere of fear and intimidation has been created.  Liberal, secular and democratic traditions are being wantonly damaged. The pluralistic nature of our society-which has been its strength for centuries-is being eroded," she said.