Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday posted a long letter on Twitter conveying his decision and asserting that he had resigned as "accountability is critical" for the future growth of the party.

"Few have the courage that you do @rahulgandhi. Deepest respect for your decision," tweeted Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and re-tweeted her brother's post.

Few have the courage that you do @rahulgandhi. Deepest respect for your decision. https://t.co/dh5JMSB63P

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 4, 2019

In his letter on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi had said: "It is a habit in India that the powerful cling to power, no one sacrifices power. But we will not defeat our opponents without sacrificing the desire for power and fighting a deeper ideological battle."

Rahul Gandhi had first told the Congress Working Committee about his decision to quit on May 25, just days after the national election verdict that delivered a straight rout for the party a second time against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.

As party chief his defeat in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, that reduced the party to just one out of the 80 seats in the state, also hit hard.