Congress leader Kapil Sibal slams Rahul Gandhi over 'collusion with BJP' accusation

At the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting which is underway, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has questioned the timing of the letter sent by his 23 party colleagues calling for a change in the leadership at all levels, a day after his mother Sonia Gandhi expressed her desire to step down as the outfit's president.

Reportedly, Rahul has accused two senior leaders Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad of "colluding with the BJP".

Hitting back at his former party chief, Sibal tweeted, ""Rahul Gandhi says “we are colluding with BJP “Succeeded in Rajasthan High Court defending the Congress Party. Defending party in Manipur to bring down BJP Govt. Last 30 years have never made a statement in favour of BJP on any issue. Yet “ we are colluding with the BJP “!"

At the virtual Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Rahul, who had resigned as the Congress president after the party's disastrous performance in the 2019 General Elections, said the letter was sent at a time the outfit was battling political crisis in Rajasthan and Sonia was unwell.

CWC meeting: Rahul Gandhi questions timing of 23 Congress leaders' letter calling for leadership change

In a letter, 23 Congress leaders including five Chief Ministers had called for sweeping changes at all levels of the party.

The Congress, which had ruled the country for decades since Independence in 1947, was decimated in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by the Narendra Modi-led BJP, getting reduced to 40 odd seats across the country.

The 2019 Lok Sabha polls were nothing short of a mere replay of the 2014 setback for the Congress, as the grand old party just managed to cross 50 seats in the vast country of 1.3 billion people.

After Rahul had stepped down as the party chief in 2019, Sonia was appointed as the interim president of the Congress.