Sonia Gandhi: The family is ready to ‘take a step back’
Sonia Gandhi, the party’s president, told the Congress Working Committee on Sunday that “we three” (she, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) are prepared to “step back” if the management lacks stability, shocking the gathering of elite party members and eliciting a unanimous refusal to accept the offer.
The entire group, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, a top light of the’rebel G-23,’ said “no” and urged Sonia to go ahead, according to sources.In the event of a rejig, there is a demand for it. Brass has been a recurring theme in Congress and CWC conferences, but it will be addressed in September when the organization’s elections, which could culminate in the election of a new chief, are held.
Sonia took the stage at the start of Sunday’s four-hour brainstorming session on electoral losses, where she said, according to sources, “For me, the Indian National Congress is important.” We are willing to make any sacrifices necessary. If the Gandhi family is unable to do so, we three are willing to take a step back.”
“We have never questioned your leadership, but only pointed out the flaws in the party management,” Azad told Sonia. “The CWC reaffirmed faith in Sonia Gandhi’s leadership and requested that she lead from the front, address organisational weaknesses, and effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges,” according to a press release issued after the assembly. It also expressed concern about the election results.
Members made important comments during the discussion. Azad brought up the difficulty of organisational administration, which has been a major source of contention among the dissenters. He stated emphatically that “decision making should be collective” — a clear reference to the G-23 cost, which was handled in an opaque manner by a small group of inexperienced leaders without the participation of veterans. Another G-23 leader, Anand Sharma, bemoaned the fact that “we” are falsely labelled as insurgents. He stated that the event and CWC conferences need to be more communicative.
The G-23 also received a rebuke from event veteran Digvijaya Singh, who stated that any concerns the group has should be addressed and resolved on the event discussion board rather than in public, as this tends to harm the event. During the debate on the election debacle, Rahul Gandhi said that regional and new events are slicing into Congress votes, implying that he was referring to the AAP in Goa.While Congress leaders, including Rahul, emphasised the need to strengthen the occasion and strategy the elections with a method and agenda, the most interesting aspect came during discussions on Punjab, where AAP swept the party from power, and Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur, where it fell far short of posing a challenge to the ruling BJP. After the parliament session, Congress is likely to hold a chintan shivir (brainstorming session), as many members of the CWC have requested.
Priyanka stated in her report that the event lacked organisation in Uttar Pradesh and that coaching camps were held to help create one. She explained that while the party didn’t expect to win many seats because it didn’t have a social bloc, the polarisation only made things more difficult.
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