The sharp divide in the Congress is out in the open, with Sonia Gandhi, in the backdrop of the sensational letter of 'dissent', telling the meeting of the party's highest decision-making body that she wants to be relieved of her position as interim president. Sonia asked the CWC to start the process to replace her, while former party chief Rahul Gandhi, reportedly, attacked the letter writers, questioning the timing of their endeavour and criticising the public airing of grievances.
Sonia is learnt to have conveyed to the CWC that a year had lapsed since she was appointed interim president and now, in the interest of the party, the committee should begin deliberations to put in place a process of transition to relieve her from her duties.
The interim Congress president is learnt to have referred to leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad more than once as she conveyed to the committee her unwillingness to continue in the post. Azad is one of the lead writers of the letter that was sent to Sonia, asking for sweeping reforms in the Congress, including the appointment of a full-time president, setting in place a system of collective leadership and decision-making and elections at all levels in the party, including the CWC.
In his intervention, Rahul is learnt to have strongly criticised the leaders who wrote the letter, saying the right forum to take up the issues was the CWC meeting and not the media. He is also learnt to have questioned the timing of the letter, saying it came at a time when Sonia was unwell and was in hospital and the party was making efforts to defuse the political crisis in Rajasthan.
On predictable lines, leader after leader, in their interventions asked Sonia to continue and many of them even asked Rahul to make a comeback as party president. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who spoke after Sonia at the meeting, set the tone for the other speakers by expressing full confidence in her leadership and criticised the public airing of grievances by the letter writers, calling the act unfortunate.
Senior leader A.K. Antony also criticised the 23-odd leaders who wrote the letter, saying it was “cruel”. He is also learnt to have asked Rahul to come back as party chief.
Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states—captain Amarinder Singh, Askok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and V. Narayanasamy, who attended the meeting as special invitees—expressed their confidence in the leadership of the Gandhis, and said they wanted Rahul to lead the party in the event of Sonia's unwillingness to continue as interim president.
The divisions were out in the open as Azad read out from the letter to stress on the issues raised by him and at least 22 other signatories of the communication. He wrapped up by expressing confidence in the leadership of Sonia, but he is learnt to have been sharply criticised by party leaders in the meeting. Azad offered to quit the party and politics if it was proved that he had worked in tandem with the BJP.
Speaking in the meeting, Sonia confidant Ahmed Patel said Rahul should now take over as party chief.
Senior leader Kapil Sibal, one of the writers of the letter, came out angrily on Twitter against Rahul's purported remarks that those who had written the letter were acting in collusion with the BJP. However, the party officially denied that Rahul had said anything like that in the meeting.
“Please don't be misled by false media discourse or misinformation being spread. But yes, we all need to work together in fighting the draconian Modi rule rather than fighting and hurting each other and the Congress,” said AICC Communications Department head Randeep Surjewala.
Sibal eventually tweeted that he was informed by Rahul personally that he never said what was attributed to him and withdrew his earlier tweet.
The CWC meeting, held in the backdrop of the dissenting letter, is the fourth virtual meet of the committee during COVID-19 times, and it was being attended by at least 50 participants, including the core members, the permanent invitees and the special invitees, including the four party chief ministers.
