The moment of Sonia Gandhi’s approach to the so-called Group of 23 or G23 who wrote to her in search of a review of the party’s leadership cannot be missed. Sources say that paying attention to top leader Kamal Nath and a few others who advised him to meet with the ‘rebels’, the Acting President of Congress will finally do so this weekend.
But there is a likely trade-off you can expect. This meeting is close to the meeting of the Congressional Working Committee called by her. The CWC will approve the calendar for the elections of the party president. Sources say the problem is that Rahul Gandhi remains reluctant to become party chairman once again.
But a group of party leaders have met with him to urge him not to say no. They point out that a person other than Gandhi as president could not hold the party together, and that only the Gandhi continue to enjoy the allure and presence of all of India. But Rahul Gandhi’s argument is that you don’t need to be president to work for the party.
So what compensation could Sonia Gandhi expect when she meets the ‘dissidents’? While none of them have spoken out against the Gandhi, or against Rahul Gandhi being the party chairman again, they have expressed their desire for relevance and a voice in the functioning of the party. They also want the CWC, the highest decision-making body in Congress, to be elected rather than elected. Sonia can give this assurance, but I would expect some kind of statement from them reiterating their support for the Gandhis and the party.
At a time when Congress is facing electoral setbacks, it is important that it appear united. But the biggest challenge for Sonia Gandhi and many top leaders is convincing Rahul Gandhi that this is not the time to say no to the top job. All eyes are on whether the CAQ will be elected. The convention has been that the party president elects the members of the CWC. This was questioned by the Group of 23 in their letter. They pointed out that if Congress wants to be truly democratic, even the members of the CWC must be elected.
Easier said than done. First, there is no such coercion in the party leadership. Second, the party president is comfortable choosing his own team members, and the composition of the CWC generally takes political balance into account.
Amid all this confusion, there is a possibility that the organization’s elections will be delayed and even extended until March-April. The drift may not stop soon in Congress, and time is clearly running out.
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