Ghulam Nabi Azad meets Sonia Gandhi as G-23 leaders push for Congress overhaul
After raising the pitch on reforms in the party, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday met party president Sonia Gandhi and discussed organisational issues and the need for cohesive functioning of the party.
The meeting came two days after Sonia spoke to Azad over the phone and the meeting of change-seekers or G-23 leaders led by him after the poll debacle. It also came a day after another G-23 leader Bhupinder Hooda met top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Azad told reporters that the discussion was on how the Congress should unitedly fight the upcoming elections besides reiterating suggestions for strengthening the party organisation.
“The meeting with Sonia Gandhi was good. There was no question about leadership. When Sonia Gandhi offered to quit, we all asked her to continue. Any change happens when elections happen. Elections will be in some months. The post of presidentship is not vacant now,” he said.
“Everyone, whether you belong to one group or another, whether you have a view, all said you should continue. When an election happens, party workers will decide (who will be president). We had some suggestions to further strengthen the organisation, which we shared,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Azad, the most prominent leader among the G-23, also met veteran leader Karan Singh, considered to be close to the Congress leadership but keeping a low profile after his retirement from Rajya Sabha, on Friday. Azad said that he met Singh to wish him on the occasion of Holi.
On Wednesday, eighteen leaders had gathered at Azad’s residence and issued a joint statement calling for “collective and inclusive leadership and decision making at all levels” after the party’s dismal poll performance. Last Sunday, the Congress Working Committee had authorised Sonia to make necessary organisational changes.
Sources said the G-23 leaders have conveyed to the leadership that their intention is not to weaken the party or seek positions, though a number of leaders have pointed out to the interviews by Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari saying they were not helpful in resolving the crisis.
The meeting with Sonia indicated that the leadership wants to resolve issues and that was the reason why Sonia and Rahul reached out to them. Some senior leaders like Ashok Gehlot are also playing the mediator’s role.
Rahul had met former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda. Rahul had also a telephonic chat with Hooda, who is growing impatient about the organisational structure in his home state where he wants to change Kumari Selja as party president and install himself.
However, it is to be seen whether the leadership would heed Hooda’s demand. However, there is speculation that Hooda’s son Deepender Hooda, a Rajya Sabha MP, may make the cut as both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi have trust in the young leader.
M Veerappa Moily, who severed his ties with G-23, said Sonia wants reforms within the party but people around her have sabotaged it. “The G23 leaders are targeting the senior leader and weakening the Congress. BJP cannot be a perennial party and it will not stand the turmoil of politics after Modi,” he was quoted by ANI as saying.
"Just because we are not in power, Congress leaders or workers should not panic. The BJP and other parties are transit passengers, they will come and go, it is the Congress that will remain here. We should be committed to the downtrodden and need not lose hope," he said.
Sandeep Dikshit, who was a signatory to the August 2020 letter of the G-23 seeking clarity on the leadership and attended the meeting on Wednesday, said party strengthens when it works as a family. “In a family, there's equality, justice and youngsters-elders. Elders are respected and youngsters are loved. Party workers want leadership to consider everyone their own,” he said.
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