They said having literally begged Sonia Gandhi to take over the reins of the party at a time when the Congress was in very bad shape, a state from where she once again turned around the sagging fortunes of the party, this action of Pawar and his colleagues was a very unfortunate incident for the Congress. Their greed for power, clearly manifested in their expressing such views publicly at this juncture, could very well amount to some sort of tacit understanding with the BJP.

Expressing full faith in Sonia Gandhi's leadership, they said her patriotism and nationalism were beyond doubt. The PPCC leaders urged her to reconsider her decision and take back her resignation. It was only under her able guidance and astute statesmanship that Congress could wage a war against the forces of communalism and fundamentalism in the coming Lok Sabha elections, they said.