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Jairam Ramesh says G23 a figment of imagination, there’s only…
Attending a press conference in Kerala ahead of Congress's mega organisational programme ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Congress leader Digvijay Singh also took a veiled dig at Ghulam Nabi Azad questioning his former colleague's political judgements.
Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday took a veiled dig at the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led grouping of dissenters known as G-23 or Group of 23 stating that it never really existed. He blamed the media for creating the term and accused it of “perpetuating” the mythology of such a grouping.
Addressing a press briefing in Kerala ahead of the Congress' mega organisational programme ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by Wayanad MP and former president Rahul Gandhi, Ramesh said there is only a “G-Congress”, in an apparent reference to the Gandhi family's roots in the party.
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“G-23 is a figment of your (media's) imagination. Where is the G-23 now? It never existed. Why you are going on perpetuating this mythology of G-23,” he said in response to a question on the possibility of the dissident group's members participating in the programme.
The press conference was attended by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar and Shashi Tharoor.
Singh questioned the political judgements of those who quit the party citing alleged differences with its central leadership.
“Tell me one statement of the person you are mentioning… Has he given any statement against the RSS or the BJP or (PM Narendra) Modi or the functioning of the BJP government? What kind of politics is this?” Singh told the press briefing.
In another development, some senior Congress leaders and G23 members – Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan and Anand Sharma – held a meeting with Azad at his residence earlier in the day. The discussions were reportedly on the future strategy of the group.
Meanwhile, Tharoor, who was one of the 23 party veterans who had written to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking a massive overhaul of the party and soon after came to be known as G-23 leaders, is in the news amid a buzz that he might be running for the top post. His latest article in Malayalam daily ‘Mathrubhumi’ has sparked the speculation.
Speaking with reporters after the press conference in Kerala, Tharoor, a parliamentarian from Thiruvananthapuram, said he will only take a call after the election notification is issued. “There is only speculation. I have not announced anything. All I said is that there should be an election and that is good for the party,” he added, in reference to the article he wrote.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) recently announced that the polling will be held on October 17, and the results will be out on October 19. The date of notification of the election schedule is September 22.
(With inputs from PTI)
