Sonia expected to return soon, say Cong sources

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to return anytime soon. Aurangzeb Naqshbandi reports.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to return anytime soon.

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Unconfirmed reports suggested that 64-year-old Congress chairperson would return on Tuesday night or Wednesday but Congress sources said she is set to return home within the week. She has been recovering well after undergoing a successful surgery abroad on August 4 for an undisclosed ailment.

“Soniaji will be returning soon but I cannot say whether she is coming tonight or within the week,” a senior party functionary said.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had on Monday said that she will be back in soon. Even more than a month after the operation, the party continued to be tightlipped about the nature of the surgical procedure and the country of her destination.

The party and the government both felt her absence during Anna Hazare's agitation which finally led the government to concede to his demands. While a busy schedule awaits Sonia on her return, top party sources said the Congress president would be out of action for about a month since she would require sufficient period to recuperate.

Though Sonia had notified a four-member committee to oversee the functioning of the party in her absence, the group of four — AK Antony, Rahul, Janardan Dwivedi and Ahmed Patel —did not take any major organisational decisions.

It met a number of times to take stock of the party work and announced minor changes in some state units.