An emotional Sonia Gandhi, who retired as Congress chief - a position she had held since 1998, said "savage personal attacks" by his opponents had made her son and new party President Rahul Gandhi "brave and strong-hearted". In her speech at the ceremony to hand over the charge of party President to her 47-year-old son, Sonia Gandhi said she was confident that "with a new and young leadership, our party will be reinvigorated and bring about the changes we need". "India is a young country. You have chosen Rahul as your leader. He is my son, and it would not be suitable for me to praise him. But this much I will say -- while from his very childhood he has borne the experience of violence, the savage personal attacks he has confronted since entering politics has served to make him a brave and strong-hearted man.

Newly elect Congress president Rahul Gandhi greets his mother and predecessor Sonia Gandhi, and former prime minister Manmohan Singh during a grand event held at the lawns of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in New Delhi on Saturday. Pic/PTI