Hooda, Moily happy as Sonia agrees to lead Congress

Veteran Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and M Veerappa Moily, who are among the 23 signatories to a letter to interim party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking an overhaul of the party, have expressed their satisfaction over her decision to stay on

Veteran Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and M Veerappa Moily, who are among the 23 signatories to a letter to interim party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking an overhaul of the party, have expressed their satisfaction over her decision to stay on.

New Delhi, India – August 20: Sonia Gandhi (R) with her co-mother-in-law Maureen Vadra after paying tribute to former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary at his memorial, in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, August 20, 2013. (Photo by Ajay Aggarwal/ Hindustan Times) (Ajay Aggarwal/ HT photo)

Hooda, a former Haryana chief minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, and other Congress lawmakers passed a vote of thanks to Sonia for agreeing to lead the party.

The vote of thanks was passed in a special Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting ahead of the monsoon session of the state assembly that started from Wednesday.

“Sonia Gandhi is the most accepted leader of the Congress. The decision would strengthen the party and has filled party workers with enthusiasm and lifted the morale of all those who are fighting for the party,” the statement read.

M Veerappa Moily, a former Union minister, who is also one of the signatories to the letter that was later leaked to the media sparking a row, said they were sorry if their action had hurt Sonia’s feelings. “If we have hurt her feelings, we are sorry for it,” Moily said.

He asserted that the signatories never questioned the Gandhi family’s leadership.

However, he defended his action as a signatory to the letter and contended that there is a need to rejuvenate and restructure the party.

Moily also disapproved of the media leak of the letter and called for an internal party probe to find out who were behind it and wanted them to be punished.

“Soniaji is like a mother to the party. There is no question of any intention to hurt her feelings. If we have hurt her feelings, then we are sorry for it,” he said.

Refusing to comment on the developments in his former party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said it was the Congress’s internal matter.

“I would not like to comment on it. Now, I am a BJP worker and commenting on internal affairs of any other political party would not be appropriate,” Scindia told media persons in Nagpur after visiting the residence of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar.

In Kochi, Congress leader PC Chacko expressed discontentment over the letter but insisted that there is “adhocism” in the party.

He said despite being a permanent member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) – the highest decision-making body of the 134-year-old party -- he was not invited for the crucial meeting on Monday.

However, according to party functionaries he had ceased to be a CWC member after his removal as the Delhi in-charge following the Congress’s debacle in the last year’s assembly polls, where it had drawn a blank.

Chacko said that the leaders should have avoided writing a letter and releasing it to the media before the CWC meeting. “I am not against the spirit of the letter. But I am against the way they wrote a letter and released it to the media a day ahead of the CWC meet. They were all in Delhi, and only a phone call away for a meeting. I sent a message to Soniaji on Monday... there is a lot of adhocism prevailing in the party,” Chacko told ANI.

“I feel certain things need to be corrected in the leadership…all over India, the Congress has its footprint. All regional and smaller parties want the Congress leadership to call and discuss issues with them. This is what they expect from the Congress, but, unfortunately, this is not happening. They are disappointed with the party,” he added.

Congress leader Anil Shastri said most of the problems within the party could be resolved if the party top brass is accessible. He also demanded that Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra should be considered for the Congress president’s post.

“There are certain things that are lacking in the Congress leadership. Significantly, meetings are not held between party leaders. For instance, if a leader from a different state comes to Delhi, it’s not easy for him to meet other leaders in the national capital,” Shastri told ANI.

“If Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi start meeting party leaders, then, I think, 50% of all the problems will be solved,” he said.

Shastri maintained that the Congress president should only be from the Gandhi family.