Congressional leaders said “no one criticized Rahul Gandhi” at the meeting (Archive)
New Delhi:
Rahul Gandhi said he is “ready to work for the party as everyone wishes” in a meeting today with “dissidents” in Congress who had written a letter criticizing the leaders and calling for reform earlier this year. The comment, greeted with applause from everyone present, including the rebels, has sparked speculation about the return of 50 years as president of Congress as the party prepares to elect a chief in the New Year.
The seven-hour meeting between Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the so-called “rebels” in the gardens of the interim President of Congress’s home on 10 Janpath marked the first step toward reconciliation after months of fighting and resignations.
Rahul Gandhi said: “I am willing to work for the party as you all wish,” Congress leader Pawan Bansal said after the meeting. The former president of Congress also reportedly agreed that “better communication” was needed and that the party needed to be strengthened at the booth level.
His sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, General Secretary of Congress in charge of Uttar Pradesh, also spoke about rebuilding the organization and “taking care of grassroots workers”.
Congressional leaders said “no one criticized Rahul Gandhi” at the meeting and the rebels “supported him.”
Rahul Gandhi resigned as president of Congress after the defeat in last year’s national elections, forcing Sonia Gandhi to take over as acting head until the party elected a new head.
On Friday, chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said “99.9 percent” of congressional leaders wanted Rahul Gandhi to lead the party again, but that the final decision was his.
More than a year since his resignation, Congress has not reached a clear solution to his leadership crisis. The party has also suffered an endless losing streak, not just in the states, but also in local polls in states like Kerala and Rajasthan. It was completely overtaken by the BJP in states like Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, where the rebellion toppled their governments. In Rajasthan, a riot has barely been kept under the lid.
A letter sent in August by 23 congressional leaders, dubbed the G-23, noted the leadership shift and called for “active and visible leadership” and collective decision-making.
During the following months, the letter writers were isolated and shunned by the Gandhis, to this day.
Congress called it the first in a series of meetings, to be held over the next 10 days, between the Gandhis and top party leaders ahead of the organizational elections.
“Sonia Gandhi started a positive discussion. She talked about defining the narrative, deciding the top leadership,” Bansal said.
“Sonia Gandhi said that we are all one big family and we must work to strengthen the party. There is no dissent in Congress, we are all committed to working together to energize the party.”
The dissidents, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, spoke directly to the Gandhis for the first time since the letter bomb.
AK Antony, Ashok Gehlot and Ambika Soni were among the loyalists at the meeting. Congressional veteran P Chidambaram is also present.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who was also at the meeting, reportedly played an important role in getting Sonia Gandhi to agree to the meeting. Nath had lost power in Madhya Pradesh in March following the defection of the main leader Jyotiraditya Scindia to the BJP.
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