Rahul Gandhi's plenary session speech in Hindi shows he's ready to take on PM Modi: Prithviraj Chavan

"Because ultimately, that's where we failed in the last election. We were too English-oriented from (then) prime minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia (Gandhi) ji, P Chidambaram all of us first spoke in English and then in Hindi, Chavan said.

Gandhi spoke straight from the heart, which was a big thing, and he connected with the people largely, he told PTI in an interview.

Asked whether Gandhi was ready to take on Modi in a big way, the senior Maharashtra Congress leader said, "Whether he likes it or not, he only has to take on Mr Modi. There is no other face to do that."

"Whether he is an equal match or unequal match or better than him (Modi), that's a different matter. He has to take on him," he added.

The senior leader said Sonia Gandhi's statement made at the India Today conclave in Mumbai that the Congress was being seen as a 'Muslim party', did create a bit of a row, but they were correcting it.

"Is that a message for Muslims that so-called appeasement is being corrected? Articulation of that was always difficult. It's never easy. Whatever you do (in such cases), the other party will always accuse us," he said

Chavan said Rahul Gandhi's visits to temples was also sending out a message. "Overdoing it sends a very different message to the minority community. So, it's a very delicate phrasing. So, he has done it," he said. He said the Congress plenary, which was last held in 2010, had sent a positive message that things were moving in the party and a smooth transition had taken place.

Asked about the takeaways from the plenary, he said many people liked the way it was organised. Things had turned more democratic as no leader was given the stage, he said.

Chavan said Sonia Gandhi's talk of the Panchmarhi session and the Shimla conclave indicated that the decision to ally with various like-minded parties taken could be implemented in 2019 too.

He said that she had given a clear message that she was very much going to be in politics and would chair the Congress Parliamentary Party as well as the UPA.

He said political message of the conclave was that Rahul Gandhi had taken over, but things would emerge only after he formed his team and the working committee.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) keeps on talking about young plus old. So, how it will be actualised. My little worry was, like in 1985, Rajiv Gandhi raised expectations (talking about) dalals and all. Similarly, he (Rahul Gandhi) has talked of breaking walls," he said.

He said everyone had interpreted the ‘breaking walls' remark differently.

"Whether breaking a wall means more youth will get tickets, means more youth will become working committee members, there can be more women (members), more youth. Each person will read it in his own way. But that definitely signifies a change, that there will be no business as usual," he said.

Asked if Rahul Gandhi would be able to break walls, he said each person interpreted it differently to suit themselves.

"That whole phrase will come out over a period of time in the formation of the working committee, of the screening committee for elections...," he said.

"Every state will require some hand-holding...Will there be a political secretary? That's an important question. Will there be an alliance team for working out alliances and forging a 'mahagathbandhan'," he said.

The senior Congress leader, who has been a minister in the PMO earlier, said ultimately he would need a team of two-four people to coordinate within and with other parties, which would come out in the days to come.

"One person cannot coordinate with everybody. What kind of situation will emerge at national level and who will be chairperson of the UPA and what will the reaction of the other parties. That will have to be see. That's the agenda for tomorrow," he said.