New Delhi: The stalemate within Congress continues even after Congress President Sonia Gandhi along with senior leaders met with some of the G23 letter writers. The letter writers also stood their ground, demanding that the issues they had raised in their August letter be addressed as soon as possible.
These issues include “decisive, active and visible” leadership, as well as radical changes in the party’s functioning. After a five-hour marathon meeting, the group agreed to hold a brainstorming session or “chintan shivir” soon so that all topics could be discussed. The leaders of the G23, in addition to seeking wide-ranging reforms, decentralization of power, empowerment of state units, elections to the organization of Congress at all levels from the bloc to the CWC, and the urgent constitution of a central parliamentary board, they also argued that uncertainty about leadership had demoralized workers and weakened Congress.
The G23 leaders present also added that to their dismay they were being branded as helping the BJP while only wanting to strengthen Congress.
One of the leaders said: “We are a family… we cannot look away if we see that there are problems in our party. Our only goal is to address the ills that afflict our party. “They also added that most of them have given their whole lives to the party and cannot go against the party, but urgent questions need to be raised. Furthermore, he reiterated that they have been at the forefront of the attacks on the Narendra Modi government and many “motivated cases.” This meeting took place more than four months after the letter was written.
Insiders claim that Ms Gandhi listened to the entire meeting patiently and said that more such interactions will take place.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Senior Leader and Acting Treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal said the discussions focused primarily on strengthening the party. He said the process for conducting organizational elections, including the post of party chairman and the Congressional Working Committee, has already been launched and the central electoral authority was working on it.
“There is already an electoral process underway. There is an agenda before the party. The CEA is working on that, ”he said. Mr. Bansal said that Ms. Sonia Gandhi told the leaders that they are all a “very big family” and that they should strive to strengthen the party.
Sources say that at the meeting some leaders like Ambika Soni and AK Antony said that Rahul Gandhi should take over as head of the party, to which Gandhi said he wants to strengthen the party first “or however you all wish.”
Former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, one of the letter writers who was part of the meeting, said: “This was the first meeting on how to strengthen the party. A conclave will occur on the Shimla and Panchmarhi lines. We discussed the future of the party and it was a constructive meeting ”.
G23 attendees included Ghulam Nabi Azad, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Prithviraj Chavan, and Vivek Tankha. In addition, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Kamal Nath, Ambika Soni, AK Antony, Ashok Gehlot and Pawan Kumar Bansal were also present.
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