Amid criticism from their party colleagues that the G-23 leaders were attempting to break the party by continuing to hold meetings after the leaders discussed "all" issues during the recent Congress Working Committee (CWC) meet, the dissenting Congress leaders are holding a meeting at the residence of Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi on Wednesday.
The leaders are expected to discuss the humiliating electoral performance of the party and the demand for a complete overhaul of the party leadership and organisation. Sources said the meeting was convened to apprise all the members of the G-23 about the decisions taken at the CWC meeting. Two prominent G-23 members Azad and Sharma would also apprise the other members of the developments at the CWC and what they spoke on strengthening the party in the wake of the party's drubbing in five states.
Those who arrived at the MP's house for a dinner meet included Shashi Tharoor, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Bhupinder Hooda, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Raj Babbar, P.J. Kurien, Prithviraj Chavan, and Mani Shankar Aiyer. Tharoor, and Aiyer are not part of the original G-23 leaders.
Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, former Gujarat chief minister Shankar Singh Vaghela, and former Haryana speaker Kuldeep Sharma too have joined them, accepting the invitation extended to Congress leaders to attend the meet.
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Hours before the meet, Tharoor took to Twitter to post a cryptic message. "I've learned so much from my mistakes, I'm thinking of making a few more," he wrote, with the caption, "Without Comment!"
According to media reports, the leaders were initially scheduled to meet at the residence of Kapil Sibal, but the venue was changed following outrage over Sibal's remark that the Gandhis should voluntarily walk away as the leaders nominated by them will never tell them to give up power.
The meeting comes after the CWC reposed full faith in Sonia Gandhi and asked her to initiate changes to strengthen the party.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had said the dissenting leaders will continue to meet, but "no one can weaken Sonia Gandhi ji." "The Congress party is with her from the streets to Delhi."
—With PTI inputs
