The Congress was mired in dissension on Wednesday as a group of senior leaders demanding internal reforms held a significant show-of-strength over a dinner meeting, even as the party’s leadership appeared to move towards trying to stem the turmoil after humiliating defeats in five state polls.
The meeting of the so-called G-23 (group of 23) leaders saw the attendance of five former chief ministers, and at least eight former Union ministers, among others. At least five sitting members of Parliament
The Congress was mired in dissension on Wednesday as a group of senior leaders demanding internal reforms held a significant show-of-strength over a dinner meeting, even as the party’s leadership appeared to move towards trying to stem the turmoil after humiliating defeats in five state polls.
The meeting of the so-called G-23 (group of 23) leaders saw the attendance of five former chief ministers, and at least eight former Union ministers, among others. At least five sitting members of Parliament were part of the discussions, during which the leaders demanded that the Congress leadership “initiate dialogue with other like-minded forces to pave the way for a credible alternative for 2024”, according to a statement released after the meeting.
The leaders — the note was undersigned by 18 — also said they believed “the only way forward is for the Congress to adopt the model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision-making at all levels”.
Leaders aware of developments said that the Congress leadership informally reached out to at least two G-23 members earlier in the day, suggesting discussions on the future of the party – the first sign of an attempt to mend the rapidly deteriorating ties between leaders loyal to the Gandhi family and those demanding internal elections.
It was unclear whether the G-23, a group of 23 leaders who first hit the headlines in 2020 when they wrote to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi demanding reform, would take up the offer. But two Congress functionaries indicated that there was a possibility of a meeting between party chief Sonia Gandhi and G23 leader Ghulam Nabi Azad soon.
Also Read | 'Congress has talent, reach; only need is...': G-23 leader's message before meet
Former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar was a surprise addition during the meeting at Azad’s residence on Wednesday night, and one of the leaders said on condition of anonymity that the strength of the group has swelled to 32. Another inclusion on Wednesday was Preneet Kaur, an MP from Patiala and wife of former CM Amarinder Singh, who left the party last year after a bitter fallout.
One more unexpected attendee was Shashi Tharoor, who was part of the original 23 leaders who wrote the letter in 2020, but had not attended recent meetings of the group.
Aiyar and Tharoor did not respond to calls and text messages seeking a comment.
“We are no longer G-23, we are G-32... Five former chief ministers and at least 8-10 former Union ministers have all met. They are all adding up now. Everyone just wants to strengthen the party but the problem is no one wants to listen,” one of the dissenting leaders said, asking not to be named.
The 18 leaders whose names were on the note, however, were Azad, Anand Shama, Kapil Sibal, Prithviraj Chavan, Manish Tewari, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Raj Babbar, Shankar Singh Vaghela, Aiyar, Tharoor, PJ Kurian, MA Khan, Rajender Kaur Bhattal, Sandeep Dixit, Kuldeep Sharma, Vivek Tankha, and Preneet Kaur.
A lot of the attention was focused on former minister Kapil Sibal, who stirred a hornet’s nest with an interview to the Indian Express on Tuesday, when he suggested that the Gandhi family should step away from the leadership of the party – a sentiment that other G-23 leaders had previously shied away from openly articulating. Since then, Sibal has faced backlash from Gandhi family loyalists, who have said he was hurting the party with his public criticism. Some leaders indicated that a resolution may be brought against him for publicly criticising the Gandhis.
Also Read | ‘Kahan ke neta hain…’: Sibal on Congress' firing line for criticising leadership
The meeting was originally planned at Sibal’s house but was later moved to Azad’s residence. It lasted at least three hours and the expanded numbers – the group was atrophying members over the past year – might act as a booster for their morale and demands.
“I don’t know where Kapil Sibal belongs. For many years, he received so many benefits from the Congress. He never complained when he was a cabinet minister in the UPA government. But now when the UPA is not in power, he is finding the situation difficult and bad,” the Congress’s Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Chowdhury said.
Protests against Sibal also grew in Chandni Chowk, his erstwhile parliamentary constituency. The Chandi Chowk City district Congress committee on Wednesday urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi “to immediately start a disciplinary enquiry against Sibal for trying to split the party”. They also alleged that Sibal had neglected his constituency.
Internal reform has long been a point of intense dissension in the Congress but the dispute spilled out in the open after the party slumped to losses in five state assembly polls that concluded recently, losing one of only three states it ruled on its own.
With criticism mounting, both inside and outside the party, Sonia Gandhi has moved to revamp the party’s structure in the five states by asking the respective state unit chiefs to resign, and on Wednesday, announced the names of five leaders who will individually look after the reorganisation – but critics say the changes are dwarfed by the scale of the reorganisation the Congress requires to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in polls later this year.
The names of the leaders entrusted to carry out the reorganisation, ironically, may lead to more unrest within the party. “Even when they set up committees today to handle post polls, they are the same names like Jairam Ramesh, Avinash Pandey, Ajay Maken and Jitendra Singh,” a second G-23 leader said.
The G-23 has repeatedly said that it is only interested in improving the Congress and doesn’t mean to destabilise the party. But it remains unclear how receptive the party leadership is to the idea of internal reforms, though elections for the position of Congress president are set for August.
At the Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday, several leaders backed the Gandhi family and refused to accept the offer of resignation by Sonia Gandhi. The CWC, instead, entrusted her to carry out “necessary and comprehensive” changes.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged the G-23 leaders were attempting to break the party by continuing to hold meetings even after the CWC discussed all issues during its recent meeting. He said no one can weaken party president Sonia Gandhi as the entire Congress, “from the streets to the national capital”, is with her.
“Sonia Gandhi is taking all steps that have been discussed at the CWC. If they (G-23 leaders) still speak like this, it means they are trying to break the party,” Kharge added.
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Archives
HT App & Website