Talking tough, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said that being in a coalition does not mean the party sacrificing its independent political space forever.
"Coalition means positive support from all sides. But working in a coalition does not mean that we lose our political space forever," Sonia said in her address at the All India Congress Committee session in New Delhi.
Sonia's observation comes in the backdrop of pulls and pressures within the United Progressive Alliance coalition on various issues, particularly the Indo-US nuclear deal.
While accepting that coalition was a political challenge, she asserted that Congress workers should strive to bring back the original glory that the party enjoyed earlier.
Ahead of elections in several states next year and Lok Sabha polls in 2009, the Congress president said that anti-incumbency was not something that was bound to happen or something that could not be avoided.
Sonia noted that the outcome of some recent assembly elections has revealed that the sympathy of people towards the party has not been translated into votes.
This was true in the case of Uttar Pradesh where, she said, there was a need to revive the party from the grassroots level.
Analysing the electoral performance of the party, Sonia said internal fight had led to the defeat of Congress at those places where the party would not have lost at all. This aspect should be kept in mind particularly in those states where the party's victory prospects were clear.
She said that states like Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal posed serious challenges before the party.
"In these states there is no other option but to sink our personal differences and stand on our own," she said.
In a terse warning, the Congress president told partymen to forget their post and positions in the party and work unitedly for the party with full dedication.
"If the party is strong, every member and worker will get strength," she said.
In an obvious reference to internal bickering in party units in some states, Sonia said the party was supreme and no leader or faction is above it.
She said though there could be different views in a democratic orgnisation, partymen should remember that till the party aired its opinion publicly on any issue, they should not ventilate their individual views.
"And once the party has expressed its opinion, no other individual view will be acceptable," she warned without mincing words.
The Congress chief said Congressmen holding important positions in the government or in the organisations should not forget that they were holding those posts by dint of being in the party.
"Their job does not end by occupying the posts. They should actively work for making the party strong," she said.
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