Rahul Gandhi's first speech as Congress President - Top quotes

Pic Courtesy: ANI

NEW DELHI: Newly-elected Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday officially took over as the party president with Sonia Gandhi stepping down from the post after 19 years.

The generational shift in the party ended the speculation that had been going on within the party over when Sonia would hand over the party baton to her son.

Here are the highlights of the newly elected Congress president's speech:

- Like many others, I am an idealist. I joined the party 13 years ago

- Politics today is devoid of nationalism. Politics today is not being used to lift the people up but to crush them

- The Congress took India to the 21st century but the PM today is taking us back to the medieval times

- Many of us are disillusioned by politics of our time. Today, politics is devoid of kindness and truth

- We are now being compelled to imagine that businesses can be built without harmony that only one man himself is the voice of reason. Expertise, experience and knowledge can be cast aside for personal glory

- We will make Congress a grand-old-new party, taking the old and the new generation forward together 

- The voice of the Congress will be heard across the country in the coming days

- If there is anyone who can stop what the BJP is doing, it is the 'pyara karyakarta & neta' of Congress. We will fight the politics of anger

- We fight together, we fight for those who can't fight alone

- We consider the BJP our brothers and sisters even though we do not agree with their politics. They want to remove us but we want to include her. We believe in moving forward with love and affection 

- In the 13 years, I have served in politics, I have had the honour of learning from my elders - from Manmohan ji, Sonia ji, others on stage and all my friends present here

- I accept this position knowing that I will be working in the shadow of the giants