HOURS BEFORE passing the baton of the Congress, which she had helmed for 19 years, to her son Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi sparked a buzz within the party and outside by hinting at retirement. On Friday, speaking to reporters in Parliament, she said, “My role is to retire.” However, an alarmed Congress leadership swiftly clarified that she has retired as president of the Congress and not from public life. Speaking to The Indian Express, senior leaders said the party and its new president would need Sonia as a “mentor” and in an “advisory role”. Going one step further, former union minister Veerappa Moily said Sonia shouldn’t forget that she is also “mother to the entire cadre of the party” and should continue to play a “mother’s role”. On Saturday, Rahul will…