Congress
Congress leadership crisis: Sonia and dissenting leaders discuss differences in a series of meet
New Delhi/IBNS: A series of meetings between Congress president Sonia Gandhi and leaders from the group of 23 dissenters, who had written letters raising concerns about party organisation, are underway at the former's house to elect the next party president after months of infighting over the leadership issue.
The meetings will continue over the next 10 days, said media reports, adding that the leaders will share their concerns over the change of leadership and steps needed to strengthen the party leadership.
Congress has been facing a major leadership crisis in the wake of a series of poll debacles. Party veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is one of the 23 leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi seeking overhaul of organisation from top to bottom as well as elections. Another senior Congress leader Ananda Sharma, who was a Cabinet minister in UPA government and wrote a letter demanding changes in party organisation also reached Sonia Gandhi's residence. Other dissenters Vivek Tankha, Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tiwari and Bhupinder Singh Hooda also joined the meeting.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and state Congress president Kamal Nath, and loyalists Ambika Soni, AK Antony and P Chidambaram were also attending the meeting.
According to an NDTV report, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath persuaded Sonia Gandhi to hear out the disapproving leaders.
Also present were Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, party general secretary Ajay Maken, and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.
Congress leader and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala was quoted as saying in the report that "An electoral college of Congress, AICC (All India Congress Committee) members, Congress workers and members will choose who's best suited (to be the party chief)."
Though the leaders, who questioned the leadership on the way the party is being run, faced virtual ambush in an online Congress meet, a Hindustan Times report said that Sonia Gandhi does not want the "dissidents" cornered and bring the warring leaders together to end the current impasse and strengthen the party to work in close coordination with Rahul Gandhi.
He had also said "99.9 per cent" leaders in Congress want Rahul Gandhi to lead the party again, the report added.
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