Jaipur, June 7 -- In remarks that are likely to reignite presidential election debate within Congress, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was seen as a frontrunner to take over as Congress chief in 2022 but was seen to have preferred state politics, has said that if Sonia Gandhi and the Congress were making him the Congress President, would he have refused.

Gehlot's remarks, coming almost four years after a show of strength in Jaipur in the presence AICC observers, led to the central leadership giving up plans bring a leadership change in Rajasthan ahead of 2023 assembly polls.

"I know the stature of the Congress President's post.. (Mahatma) Gandhiji has been President, Pandit Nehru, Motilal Nehru has been President, who ...