Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior Congress leaders on Friday congratulated Sonia Gandhi on her completing 10 years as Congress president, the longest stint at the top in the grand old party.

As Sonia was scheduled to inaugurate the Hyderabad International Airport and address a rally in the city later in the day, the Congress leaders made a beeline early morning to greet their party chief. They also presented a silver plaque to her on the occassion.

“When Sonia took over leadership of the party in 1998, we were ruling just a few states, but through her leadership she took this tally to 16 states. She also successfully led the party in the 2004 General Elections after which we came to power at the Centre. She remains our chief mascot,” an AICC spokesperson told reporters.

On Thursday, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had met to thank Sonia for guiding the party when the party was “going through a turbulent phase”. It adopted a resolution crediting her for the UPA Government’s flagship National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) programme and the Rs 60,000-crore loan waiver announced in the Budget.

While the Gandhi scion and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi recently lamented the lack of internal democracy in all political parties, including the Congress, the CWC commended Sonia for her “belief in free and democratic exchange of views”. “She has strengthened the organisation through her expressed belief in free and democratic exchange of views and consensus-building on important policy initiatives,” read the CWC resolution.