NEW DELHI: The head of Congress, Sonia Gandhi, invited G23 officials, who wrote to her in August seeking “full-time” leadership and elections for party positions, to a discussion Saturday in which they are expected to the latter seek an answer on the progress their demands.
While there was no official word on the development, dissident officials said they had written to Sonia last week. An AICC manager claimed that the head of Congress was beginning the process of meeting with high-level leaders and this may include a small group of letter writers, with topics like alliances in election states and agricultural unrest on the table. Rahul gandhi you can also attend the discussions.
However, sources said that high-level leaders who had expressed their distress over Rahul’s performance viewed the latest results in the Kerala panchayat polls to underscore the relevance of the issues they raised a few months ago. They are likely to ask about the election process for the party chief and also the working committee. The view of one section of the party is that the electoral process may yield candidates for the posts of party chief, even when Rahul has not indicated whether he is ready to take office again.
The fear of letter writers and those aligned with them is that a replacement candidate could be placed in the leadership position. While the G23 is willing to consider a member of the Gandhi family as party chairman, as Rajya Sabha opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in a recent interview, it may not accept anyone else. This can turn internal polls into a contest.
On his mind are the decisions made at the hectic CWC meeting in August, where the G23 letter was debated. A key decision was the announcement of the process for the election to the position of president, a demand from the letter writers in addition to their pressure for the election to the CWC.
It was learned that a key member of the “first family” spoke by phone with G23 directors, Azad and Anand Sharma among a few, during the past month, making up for the long absence of the family confidante. Ahmed Patel who recently passed away.
The sources said the main concern of the dissidents is what happens to the leadership of Congress since Sonia Gandhi is interim president and internal polls have been announced. “They want clarity on this,” said one veteran.
The scenarios are complicated. Connoisseurs say if it’s not Rahul, then Priyanka Gandhi Vadra it must take charge of maintaining the cohesion of the party.
The issue of leadership, emphasized a veteran of the party, will have to be resolved by consensus, be it a Gandhi or a non-Gandhi member acceptable to all.
Dissidents also want a change in Rahul’s leadership style, a message they have conveyed during indirect talks.
Concerned congressional officials say that, in addition to members of the G23, even veterans who did not sign the letter have joined in to convey to leaders the need to stabilize the organization. Among them it is said that they are Kamal Nath and P Chidambaram. Even top ministers like Ashok Gehlot and Amarinder Singh They have repeatedly expressed the need for Rahul to retake the reins of the party, arguing that Congress is going through a difficult stage.
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