New Delhi: As Congress president Sonia Gandhi said her decision not to take up Prime Minister's post was final, her party MPs appealed to her to reconsider her stand in the interest of the party and the country.

Speaking one after the other after she announced the decision at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), the MPs said she was the only leader who could take it to new heights.

Elections 2004-Where is India heading...
Political Parties in India

"The inner voice of people says you should become the Prime Minister... Please don't leave us. Please continue to lead us," pleaded Mani Shankar Aiyar referring to her emphasis that she had taken the decision guided by her "inner voice".

Quoting from Gandhi's address earlier at the meeting, he said Congress had a "long struggle ahead, but this cannot be successful without you."

Aiyar said the vote for Congress was actually a vote for her and asked her not to "betray the people".

Noted lawyer Kapil Sibal said Gandhi had no parallel in the country in leadership and "our faith is only with you".

"It is not an issue of becoming the Prime Minister. Prime Ministers come and go. But you have thought of people. And there is nobody in this hall entitled to be the Prime Minister," he said.

Stressing that Congress had the task of finishing fundamentalist forces forever, Sibal said, "Unless you are there, our inspiration will not be there" to do so.

Terming Gandhi's decision as "tragic", senior Congress leader A R Antulay said she should not abdicate the responsibility given to her by the people of the country. "Terrorism in this country can only be stopped if you take over as PM," he added.

Making a similar plea, Subodh Kant Sahay attacked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj for her protests against Gandhi's candidature for Prime Ministership. "Sushma Swaraj is a disgrace to decency. How can she talk of tonsuring her head being a married lady?" he said.

Terming Gandhi's decision as "tragic", senior Congress leader A R Antulay said she should not abdicate the responsibility given to her by the people of the country. "Terrorism in this country can only be stopped if you take over as PM," he added.

Making a similar plea, Subodh Kant Sahay attacked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj for her protests against Gandhi's candidature for Prime Ministership. "Sushma Swaraj is a disgrace to decency. How can she talk of tonsuring her head being a married lady?" he said.

D Narayana Rao, MP from Andhra Pradesh, told Gandhi that people in the State had voted for her and she should therefore rethink her decision.

He also accused BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti of resorting to "blackmail" in order to pressure Gandhi not to accept the Prime Ministership.

"If she really wanted to resign, she should have given it to the Governor and not to her party president," he said.

Congress' Rajya Sabha member Suresh Pachauri went to the extent of threatening to resign if Gandhi did not agree to become the PM.

In a choked voice, Renuka Choudhary said, "Selfish Congressmen had used you when they were in trouble. But you protected every Congressman of the country. Now when we are strong, you and only you should lead us."

Making a fervent plea, Meira Kumar, MP from Bihar said, "The decision taken by you (Gandhi) cannot be taken by anyone else in the country. But let me convey this, that the post of Prime Minister is a post of serving the country much better."

Haryana Congress president Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that accepting of Prime Minister's post was in itself a sacrifice by Gandhi keeping in view the tragedies like assassination of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Senior Congress leader from Mumbai Gurudas Kamath said the country needed a Congress Government and the Congress needed Sonia Gandhi.

The newly elected MP from Jammu, Lal Singh, said that his State needed the touch of Sonia Gandhi.

Appealing to her to withdraw her decision were G Venkatswamy and Ashwin Kumar, who said that they wanted to leave the Central hall of Parliament happily.