New Delhi: In one of the biggest organizational reforms in Congress in recent times, the party has removed some of its oldest leaders from the list of its general secretaries, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, among others. The changes come in the context of the current leadership crisis in the party that was addressed at the previous meeting of the Congressional Working Committee (CWC).
Additionally, Congress President Sonia Gandhi also set up a special six-member committee to assist her on ‘organizational and operational matters’ that includes senior leaders AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Sonia, KC Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik and Randeep Singh. Surjewala.
The reconstitution of the CWC and the fall of Azad as general secretary is significant because he was one of the signatories to a letter that was sent to Gandhi highlighting the need for party reform, including the need for effective and full-time leadership. Along with Azad, four other general secretaries, Motilal Vora, Ambika Soni, Mallikarjun Kharge and Luizinho Faleiro, have also been removed from the post of general secretaries. Of these five leaders, only Vora and Faleiro have been removed from the CWC list.
New members of the highest decision-making body include former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Surjewala, Jitendra Singh and Tariq Anwar. The leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, does not find his name on the reconstituted list, but is part of the permanent guest list. Chowdhury was also recently appointed head of the party’s West Bengal unit.
“These changes were pending for a long time and there was a growing demand within the party for the changes to take place. In a way, it lays the groundwork for the imminent selection of a new Congress president, as Gandhi had mentioned at the previous CWC meeting, “said a senior party leader requesting anonymity.
“The formation of the special committee is expected to address concerns that have been raised in recent times, including assisting the president of Congress in the day-to-day affairs of the party. The changes made on Friday reflect an attempt to balance the old guard and the young leadership in the party, “added the leader cited above. The special committee was mandated to work until the next session of the AICC (All India Congress Committee ).
New Secretary-Generals who have been inducted include Anwar as the Keeper of Kerala and Lakshadweep, Surjewala as the Keeper of Karnataka and Jitendra Singh as the Keeper of Assam. Several changes have also been made to the list of managers, including former union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, in charge of the administration, while state officials include senior leader Dinesh Gundu Rao and Lok Sabha member Manickam Tagore.
Top party leaders feel that Friday’s changes carry a key imprint of former President Rahul Gandhi, as some of the leaders who consider themselves close to him and are young have been installed into key positions.
Congress has also realigned its Central Elections Authority, which handles organizational polls, making top leader Madhusudan Mistry president with four other members. The party feels the process is an indicator of the internal election process, including those at the state level, which will begin soon in the party.
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